Posted on 04/04/2024 7:35:26 AM PDT by Red Badger
DETROIT – Ford Motor is delaying production of a new all-electric large SUV and pickup truck, as it shifts to offer hybrid options across its entire North American lineup by 2030.
The Detroit automaker on Thursday said it will continue to invest in EVs, but it is postponing production of the three-row SUV at a plant in Canada from 2025 to 2027 to allow for the market to mature more. The pickup is being pushed back from late 2025 to 2026.
The shift in EV plans is the latest for Ford and the entire automotive industry as adoption has been slower than many expected and production costs remain high.
Ford last year said it would delay or cancel $12 billion in planned spending on new electric vehicles due to the shifting market conditions as well as challenges to profitably building and selling the vehicles. It was not immediately clear whether the new delays were part of those plans.
“As the No. 2 EV brand in the U.S. for the past two years, we are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid and fully electric vehicles at the right time,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said Thursday in a statement.
The three-row SUV was part of a roughly $1.3 billion investment to transition Ford’s Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, into a new electric vehicle hub. It was supposed to be Ford’s first time completely retooling a North American facility producing gas-powered vehicles into one that manufactures EVs.
“The additional time will allow for the consumer market for three-row EVs to further develop and enable Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technology, with the goal to provide customers increased durability and better value,” the company said in a release.
Ford said it will continue to focus its EV efforts on new plants such as its “BlueOval City” campus in Tennessee rather than transitioning current facilities producing engine-powered vehicles to all-electric models.
“Our breakthrough, next-generation EVs will be new from the ground up and fully software enabled, with ever-improving digital experiences and a multitude of potential services,” Farley said.
The automaker said the massive Tennessee facility, which was part of an $11.4 billion investment announced in 2021, will begin production of Ford’s next-generation all-electric truck, codenamed “T3,” in 2026, rather than 2025.
Ford said it is continuing construction of battery plants in Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky.
In the first quarter of 2024, Ford’s electric vehicle sales increased by 86% from subdued levels a year earlier. Hybrid sales for the automaker rose 42% year over year, while sales of Ford’s traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines were up 2.6%.
Ford’s “Model e” electric vehicle business lost $4.7 billion in 2023, including $1.57 billion during the fourth quarter. In February, the automaker said it expected the unit to lose between $5 billion and $5.5 billion in 2024.
Toyota got it right.
hell, pay-per-view....
Dibs on autopsy video!
Everyone who wanted to virtue signal has signaled their virtue. EV is dead.
We may have no other choice but to rebuild our cars engines or buy new crate engines..............
RE: We are heading for an EPIC COLLISION now as the Biden bunch will effectively OUTLAW the production of gasoline vehicles, including hybrids, by 2030.
Great post.
So many here say “no matter, I will always choose my gas vehicle” and they assume they will have a choice. They won’t.
What if you want a new non catalytic converter car?
Thx That’s a car for a teen and his gf boyfriend.
Ford takes second in US EV market after sales climb 86% as lower prices take effect
You can currently get $3,000 off and zero percent 72 month financing on a Mustang Mach-E.
This is on top of the $8,100 MSRP price slash that Ford implemented in February.
And still don’t want the pile of junk. 80% depreciation when you drive off the lot.
bkmk
Will they still be in business in 2030?
You would have to know a lot about how the computer(s) that run the car work and how to program them. It would be along the lines of reprogramming the basic input output system in your desktop or laptop only more complicated with less publicly available software “tools” available and a much smaller base of individuals with this type of knowledge.
“Hybrids” are very complicated beasts, much more complicated than either electric or hydrocarbon fueled vehicles. This is especially true of the transmissions which have to take in energy from both the engine and the motor/generator. It would be more of a challenge than anyone who I know could take on... and I know some very adept people.
The actual way to do it would be to get another non-hybrid version of the same car - that had been totaled and try to transplant the engine, transmission, electronics, and other items into your dead hybrid.
“So many here say “no matter, I will always choose my gas vehicle” and they assume they will have a choice. They won’t.”
As you get at, one can ‘choose’ to keep their gasoline car...but in 2040 or so, they’ll need a refinery in their backyard if they plan to turn on the engine.
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