Once heavily vested in electric vehicles, Ford has since pivoted more toward partial electrification, with plans to add a hybrid option to its entire ICE-focused Blue lineup by 2030. This move came amid a general slowdown in demand for EVs, and several of The Blue Oval’s rivals have followed suit as of late. Toyota was always a bit skeptical about EVs, in general, but still planned on vastly expanding its lineup over the coming years. Now, however, it’s also opting to focus more on partial electrification – or plug-in hybrids, specifically.
“We are going to grow our PHEV volume through the lineup over the next few years,” David Christ, head of Toyota North America, told CNBC recently. “We love the PHEV powertrain. We’re working to increase, perpetually increase, the amount of miles you can drive on EV-only range. We’re looking at plug-ins across the lineup, and it’s more a function of where can we build them, and what is the product strength versus the competition. We’re looking across the lineup and saying, ‘How many power trains can we offer on what products?’ We are going to increase the percentage of hybrids and PHEVs.”
Toyota (and Lexus) PHEV sales increased by 39 percent in 2024, and the automaker reportedly plans on increasing its U.S. sales volume of those types of models from 2.4 percent last year to around 20 percent by 2030. That change isn’t set in stone, however, and depends on consumer trends, regulations, and how technology advances over the coming years. Toyota has also gone back and forth in regard to its desire to offer a compact pickup once again, with such a possibility seeming strong at the moment.
As for Ford, it’s not really focusing on PHEVs at the moment, but is instead looking at extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), which are quite similar, yet utilize larger battery packs and provide quite a bit more electric-only range. For now, The Blue Oval seems destined to offer EREV powerplants in larger SUVs and heavier trucks like the Super Duty, at the very least.
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