Though it has scaled back its planned investments into EVs amid falling demand, Ford remains very much committed to hybrids, which represent a solid bridge between traditional ICE vehicles and purely electric ones. In fact, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently stated that the automaker plans to continue building and selling hybrids for the foreseeable future – well into the next decade, in fact – and it also believes that sales will continue to grow as well. Much of this growth stems from the fact that hybrids offer a number of benefits that consumers are quickly becoming aware of, as Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue, explained in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.
“Hybrids now have very few compromises compared to their gas alternatives,” Frick said, noting that the Ford F-150 PowerBoost, specifically, offers customers both superior fuel economy and output compared to regular ICE variants of the popular pickup. For many, hybrids represent the best of both worlds in that regard, as well as a way to dip one’s toe into the world of electrification without worrying about things like range, charging times, and infrastructure, as is the case with pure EVs at the moment.
This surge in interest came as a bit of a surprise to FoMoCo, regardless, as Farley recently admitted that the F-150 PowerBoost, specifically, debuted to far more consumer demand than the company expected. Ford CFO John Lawler later noted that the company “became a little bit complacent in how we spoke about hybrids” as well, rather than working to inform customers of their many benefits.
Regardless, FoMoCo’s continued investment into hybrids has paid off in a big way, as the electrified Ford Maverick finished 2023 as the best-selling hybrid pickup in the U.S., followed by the F-150 PowerBoost. However, the automaker also expects its hybrid sales to continue to grow in 2024, largely buoyed by its commitment to that particular type of powertrain.
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Comments
Plug in hybrid versions would even be better.
Hybrids offer more than ICEs offer. Pure electric offers less. It isn’t rocket science to see why people choose hybrids over electrics. Nobody wants to pay more to get a lesser product. They want a better product.
Ford is not as committed to bringing hybrids to its U.S. customers as their execs might indicate. After getting excited upon hearing the original announcement by Ford that they were developing a hybrid Ranger and waiting several years for its production, I was very disappointed to learn it is now available in many other countries but not to its U.S. customers in the very country that is home to Ford.