With demand for all-electric vehicles falling behind expected levels of growth, Ford has since switched its focus not only to producing lower-cost EVs – but also, expanding its hybrid lineup. Given the fact that FoMoCo just enjoyed a record-setting hybrid sales performance in April and had the two top-selling hybrid pickups in its lineup last year, this makes a lot of sense, and in fact, Ford is also hard at work eyeing the next generation of hybrid motors, too.
Ford supplier Toshiba has been making hybrid systems since the early 1990s, and is playing a key role in this process, having worked with The Blue Oval since 1999. That dual-motor HEV system first appeared in the 2004 Ford Escape Hybrid, as well as the C-Max, Fusion, and Lincoln MKZ, which is also the same time that Toshiba became a Tier 2 manufacturer for FoMoCo. It wasn’t long before Ford promoted Toshiba to Tier 1 status, however, which occurred in 2009.
This budding relationship prompted Toshiba to shift its HEV motor development and engineering processes from Japan to the U.S. offices in Wixom, Michigan, 30 miles west of Detroit, and three years later, it also opened a manufacturing plant in Houston. These moves allow the company to speed up its domestic development and shipping of parts and products, as well as provide Ford with American-made hybrid motors.
“‘Made in the USA’ still builds American consumer confidence,” said Achilles Harris, Toshiba’s HEV Plant Manager in Houston, who has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry. “Consumers are happier buying products that have that tag as part of their make-up. Not to mention, when we build locally, we can resolve quality control issues in a timely manner.”
Looking ahead, Ford and Toshiba expect hybrid sales to continue to grow even as fully-electric models expand their own market share. Regardless, whatever happens, Toshiba is confident that it’s ready to provide its customers with whatever sorts of powertrains customers are gravitating toward at the time. “As consumers transition from gas-powered vehicles to HEVs, and eventually to fully electric models, Toshiba will continue to support this shift with our advanced motor technologies. We are fully prepared for the future of electrified vehicles,” the company said.
We’ll have more on Ford’s hybrid future soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comment
That’s a good idea. The charging cable are now being stolen because of their copper. So that will be even less infrastructure for EVs