Ford is delaying some electric-vehicle production as it refocuses on hybrids.
It announced that it’s pushing forward the EV production timeline at its Ontario plant by two years to 2027. The facility is where it plans to make a three-row “family” vehicle. Ford said in a press release that the delay “will allow for the consumer market for three-row EVs to further develop and enable Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technology, with the goal to provide customers increased durability and better value.”
Meanwhile, the Detroit-area automaker said it’s expanding its hybrid lineup, saying it plans to offer hybrids across its full Ford Blue lineup in North America by the end of the decade.
Ford said its EV sales rose 86% year-over-year in the first quarter, its hybrid sales 42%.
“As the No. 2 EV brand in the U.S. for the past two years, we are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid and fully electric vehicles at the right time,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley.
Tesla is still the No. 1 EV maker in the U.S. but has lately been trading places with China’s BYD for the title of world EV sales leader.
“Our breakthrough, next-generation EVs will be new from the ground up and fully software enabled, with ever-improving digital experiences and a multitude of potential services," Farley said.
Ford and other legacy automakers have recently scaled back formerly ambitious plans to convert their entire lineups to purely electric powertrains by 2030 or 2035 after seeing demand flatten following a wave of early adoption.
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