With demand for all-electric vehicles falling behind expected levels, automakers are shifting their focus toward hybrids as something of a stop-gap solution. That includes Ford, which has seen its hybrid sales skyrocket as of late, and The Blue Oval plans to capitalize on that popularity by vastly expanding its partially-electrified offerings, too. Recently, Ford CEO Jim Farley stated that the automaker’s hybrid pivot won’t cost the company a ton of money either, and much of that will apparently stem from with declining costs.
“The technology cost has come down dramatically,” Lisa Drake, Ford’s vice president of electric vehicle programs and energy supply chain, explained to Automotive News in a recent interview. “Year over year, you can take 20 to 30 percent of the cost out of a hybrid architecture.”
Economies of scale figure to work in Ford’s favor as well, and in that regard, the automaker has already boosted production of the Ford F-150 PowerBoost hybrid to somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of total F-150 production, compared to the 10 percent it accounted for previously. Additionally, The Blue Oval plans to add a hybrid powertrain option to every model in the Ford Blue (ICE) lineup by 2030, as Ford Authority recently reported.
These moves come as Ford set a new personal record for hybrid sales last month, largely on the back of the F-150 PowerBoost and the Ford Maverick Hybrid, which were the top two best-selling hybrid pickups in 2023. Even though overall Ford sales in the U.S. declined by 2.4 percent to 179,588 units in April, Ford hybrid sales surged by 59.5 percent, reaching 17,997 units in total, in fact. As Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue recently explained, much of this popularity can be attributed to the fact that hybrids have few compromises compared to their ICE counterparts, offering up superior efficiency and output in many cases.
We’ll have more on the Ford’s hybrid push soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
GREAT news! Keep at it Ford.
I mean…we just wish Ford actually had more hybrids. Why not hybrid for the Bronco, Bronco Sport, Explorer????
Also, toss in the Ranger for good measure.
Kay, there is a hybrid Explorer. Ford has to produce hybrid versions of all the remaining vehicles, including the Mustang. I have a 2014 Fusion Hybrid and it is the best hybrid midsized sedan, so I know plenty about hybrids. In ten years it still has all original parts except oil and filter, air filter, 12V battery, wiper blades and tires. It had two factory recalls: door latches and a steering bolt. I still get over 40 MPG every day.
I have had similar experience with my 2015 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. No issues except as above. Still enjoy 40mpg and gets complements always on styling. The new Nautilus promises the same technology……..except made in China! Ugh.
Should have started doing hybrids first then easing into electrics would’ve been a more natural progression
How building new vehicles Ford. You have not built anything new lately