Ford Equator Sport PHEV Will Join Refreshed Lineup In China

Though EV demand has tapered off as of late, Ford CEO Jim Farley previously noted that the company plans to continue to make and sell hybrids for the foreseeable future – and, in fact, the automaker will also add a hybrid option to its entire Ford Blue lineup by 2030, too, which is a move Farley notes won’t cost the company much money, either. In China, the forthcoming, refreshed Ford Equator will be adding a plug-in hybrid option – as Ford Authority reported earlier today – and that will also be the case with the updated Ford Equator Sport, too.

To date, the Ford Equator Sport – which just debuted back in 2021 and is produced for the Chinese market by the joint-venture JMC Ford – has been available with just one engine option. That is a turbocharged 1.5L powerplant, which produces 127 kilowatts (170 horsepower) and 260 Nm (192 pound-feet) of torque and is mated to the Magna Powertrain seven-speed wet dual clutch transmission.

Now, however, both the refreshed Ford Equator Sport and the regular Equator are getting a plug-in hybrid variant as part of their respective refreshes. That combination consists of what appears to be the same 1.5L gas engine, in this case, generating 148 horsepower coupled with an electric motor adding 81 hp for a combined output of 215 hp. The Equator PHEVs utilize a lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, but it’s unclear what sort of capacity or all-electric driving range they’ll offer at the moment.

Details regarding this new powertrain remain a bit scant for now, but we do know that the refreshed Ford Equator Sport is in line to receive some exterior styling updates that further differentiate it from the regular Equator, too. Those include a different front grille, rear diffuser, and tailgate design, at the very least.

We’ll have more on the refreshed Ford Equator Sport soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Equator news and continuous Ford news coverage.