In Europe, lawmakers have long sought to phase out the sale of new ICE vehicles in favor of zero-emissions models, but in recent months, that plan has faced its fair share of road blocks. With demand for all-electric vehicles failing to meet expected levels of growth, some automakers – including Ford – have pivoted away from their EV-focused plans and instead intend to offer ICE, hybrid, and EV models in Europe for the foreseeable future. Now, it seems as if one of The Blue Oval’s biggest EV rivals in that same region – BYD – will follow suit.
According to Reuters, plug-in hybrids will be “at the core of BYD strategy in Europe,” news that comes straight from Alfredo Altavilla, BYD’s special advisor for that region. “It would be stupid to go against the market, it’s pretty clear where the market is going in Europe, especially in Southern Europe,” Altavilla added, pointing to a slowdown in EV demand this year. “We’ll of course have several EV models in our European offerings, but hybrids will be key for European customers.”
Currently, plug-in hybrids account for around 70 percent of BYD sales in Europe. Its ultra-cheap EVs (at least in China) such as the Seagull are currently being slapped with tariffs in that region, which likely plays a role in this trend as well. Regardless, BYD also sells its fair share of PHEVs in various markets – including the Shark pickup truck, a direct Ford Ranger PHEV rival that mates a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine with a pair of electric motors and a 30 kWh battery to make 430 combined horsepower and offer up 62 miles of all-electric driving range.
Meanwhile, Ford is facing its own problems in Europe, where it’s calling for increased EV incentives as a way to conjure up demand after investing heavily in electrification over the past couple of years. Though its EVs aren’t selling as well as expected, Ford’s hybrids are doing quite well, however, with the Kuga PHEV routinely ranking as one of Europe’s top-selling models.
No Comments yet