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The Chevrolet Volt is all the rage these days in automotive circles, but Ford wants no part of plug-in hybrids -- for now at least.
"Our position in the hybrid market makes it easier for us to sit back"

When it comes to advanced technologies to improve the fuel efficiency of America's vehicles, we often hear from the likes of General Motors and Toyota. Both companies are investing heavily in hybrid/plug-in hybrid technology and GM in particular has made huge leaps with fuel cell technology.

With the exception of advances to existing technology like turbocharging, and a few fuel cell demonstration vehicles, we haven't heard much from Ford. Ford currently only has three hybrid vehicles available on the market, and all three are essentially the same vehicle (Ford Escape Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid).

Ford is currently content with sitting back and letting GM and Toyota develop plug-in hybrid technology, and it will jump in after all of the heavy lifting has been done. "If customers aren't buying them, we're not making them," said Ford Senior Manager of Energy Storage Ted Miller. "If there's going to be a true plug-in hybrid market, we're going to be there. It's just that that's a huge commitment to actually go to production."

Ford says that its “wait and see” approach to plug-in hybrids gives it more focus and additional funds to develop and produce traditional hybrid vehicles. The company is currently in the process of putting the final touches on the production version of its Fusion Hybrid sedan.

However, with Toyota working on a plug-in version of its next generation Prius and GM taking up headlines with its Chevrolet Volt, Ford may be left without a star player in the race to produce vehicles that derive a large portion of their propulsion from electricity.

GM took a wait and see approach when the Prius first hit the market, and saw that it missed a great opportunity to place itself at the forefront of automotive technology. GM officials made it a point not to let that happen with plug-in hybrids and its efforts in the field with the Volt have so far out shadowed Toyota's efforts. Only time will tell, however, if public mindshare with the Volt will turn into sales of the estimated $40,000 vehicle.

Ford saw its sales dip 11% in May -- which included a nearly 20% decline for its stalwart F-Series trucks. With more Americans realizing that they don't need full-size trucks for their daily commutes during a period of record gas prices, the Honda Civic/Accord and Toyota Corolla/Civic went on to outsell the mighty F-Series during the month of May.

As Ford slowly builds its hybrid fleet and sits out the plug-in hybrid craze, it is hoping to bring a more fuel efficient, next generation Focus along with a new Fiesta to quench America’s thirst for fuel efficient vehicles. Both vehicles, however, won't make it to the U.S. until 2010 at the earliest.

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40K!
By Alphafox78 on 6/30/2008 9:58:58 AM , Rating: 2
Wow, didnt know it would cost that much..
gas would have to be like $7 a gallon to cost justify it, imo. it would be really nice to plug it in at night and go for 40 miles though on no gas!




RE: 40K!
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 6/30/2008 10:08:01 AM , Rating: 3
IIRC, Congress is cooking up a $7,000 - $8,000 tax break for Volt buyers.


RE: 40K!
By FITCamaro on 6/30/2008 10:13:16 AM , Rating: 5
Well as much as I like the Volt I don't like that idea.


RE: 40K!
By masher2 (blog) on 6/30/2008 10:23:34 AM , Rating: 5
You mean you don't want to help pay for my Volt with your tax dollars?


RE: 40K!
By FITCamaro on 6/30/2008 10:42:34 AM , Rating: 2
Pretty simple way to put it. Apparently people don't agree with me since I got voted down.


RE: 40K!
By mmcdonalataocdotgov on 6/30/08, Rating: 0
RE: 40K!
By FITCamaro on 6/30/2008 3:57:15 PM , Rating: 3
Yup. You figured them out. Now go back in your basement.


RE: 40K!
By winterspan on 7/1/2008 12:08:36 AM , Rating: 4
Yes, yes, we all get it. You're an old conservative who just wants his farm and shotgun and big government to leave him alone, right?

Tax credits, subsidies, rebates, and other incentives etc are going to be enormously important to get green tech off the ground, including hybrid cars, electric vehicles, solar power, wind power, hydro power, nuclear power, C02-capture coal, etc.

If you want to bitch about government subsidies, maybe you should direct it at the senate republicans who just voted to keep giving Oil and Gas companies TENS OF BILLIONS over the next 10 years in tax breaks, at the very same time they are seeing historic profits!


RE: 40K!
By masher2 (blog) on 7/1/08, Rating: 0
RE: 40K!
By ICE1966 on 7/1/08, Rating: -1
RE: 40K!
By masher2 (blog) on 7/1/2008 9:41:17 AM , Rating: 3
> "I cannot see any reason for fuel to cost as much as it does except for greed. "

Many people who don't understand basic economics say the same thing. The reasons, however, are quite simple. Oil prices aren't set by oil companies, they're controlled by a huge network of commodity traders who are continually attempting to match supply to demand. How do they do that? By changing the price of the product!

Now, here's the part those with room-temperature IQ's continually miss. If demand goes up, say, 10% and supply doesn't, the price has to rise. HAS to. And how much does it rise? No, not 10% as well..it has to rise enough to force demand to fall 10%.

If that doesn't happen, then we continue to buy more gas than we produce....and voila! The pumps run dry and we all wind up walking to work. (Note: this happens quite regularly in socialist nations with firm price controls...it's why the shelves were always empty in those old Soviet stores)

The only way around it is even worse -- government-mandated quotas. And in fact, when the government stepped in with price controls on gas in the 1970s, they were forced to do just that -- put a quota on how much gas you could buy. I doubt you're old enough to remember the situation, but if you love waiting in a line of 150 people to buy gas on those days of the month you're allowed to actually buy any -you would have loved 1973 and idiotic government "solutions" which only make things worse.

On a commodity people love as much as gasoline, its HARD to drop demand. This is why a tiny change in demand leads to huge price changes.

Simple really. But the vegetative softhead crowd perenially persists in invoking conspiracy theories. Be brave...don't join that crowd.


RE: 40K!
By theapparition on 7/1/2008 3:57:14 PM , Rating: 3
While I completely agree (and couldn't disagree since everything you posted is complete fact), the other side of the demand is supply.

I find it disheartening that many corportations are not investing at all to increase supply. Some are, but many plan no infrastructure investement (cough....Exxon....cough).


RE: 40K!
By Shining Arcanine on 7/1/2008 9:00:24 AM , Rating: 2
I do not think companies should be paying taxes at all. Mathematically speaking, corporate taxes are a form of double taxation, as you first pay your income taxes and have less money than you had when you started and then you pay the corporate taxes that are included in the price of goods when you purchase them. That is not including sales tax, which is a third layer of taxation.

The federal government should just set a flat income tax for US citizens and be done with it. They should have none of this double taxation business. The main thing it accomplishes is to send jobs overseas because people in other countries do not want to pay a premium for our overpriced goods.


RE: 40K!
By phxfreddy on 7/3/2008 11:53:00 AM , Rating: 2
When I give oil companies money .....they give me a product back !!! Bad mouthing oil companies is making you look more than stupid.

Its time to drill off the coasts. Drill in ANWR. Drill in your mothers bunda if she has oil there.

Only then will the dollar collapse abate.

Or we can continue to act like effeminate little princesses who believe the charade that global warming is true and oil companies are bad. I like oil tax breaks. It helps them fund new oil discoveries and in the they just let them KEEP their money....Its not giving them anything. Government is not the solution...it is the problem. How? Open the coasts for drilling. Open oil shale for development.

Its only a matter of time till this happens now. Its only a matter of how long till we collectively say uncle. The pain will inexorably increase until we do.

And I will love to see the kooks who believe in MMGW laid low. And for those of you who say its only going to be a little oil I reply "then it will only be a little bit of environmental risk" But then we know what your words are worth. At every step liberals try to manipulate society.


RE: 40K!
By winterspan on 7/13/2008 12:11:15 AM , Rating: 2
"little princesses who believe the charade that global warming is true "

Don't know what rock you've been under (or what right-wing charlatan news host you've been listening to) but EVERY MAJOR SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATION IN THE G8 AGREES WITH THE CONSENSUS VIEW THAT ANTHROPOGENIC GLOBAL WARMING IS A FACT.

There is NO ONE doubting this fact other than groups with vested interests in seeing to it that C02 and other green house gases are not regulated. This includes Oil and Gas corporations, among other industrial companies, and their well-payed legions of lobbyists and of course the lunatics that run and/or work for right-wing "think tanks" AKA coordinated lobbyist groups, like the American Enterprise Institute, PNAC, etc. Then of course you have a bunch of republican congressman who get massive campaign donations from these same energy companies.

There is a reason why all the anti-climate change folks who are trying to confuse the public are all NOT SCIENTISTS.

Anyone deceived into thinking global warming is not a legitimate issue by these right-wing hacks and special interests is a moron, and needs to learn how to do basic research. If they did, they would quickly find the truth.
Just visit the website of any climatological science professor or trade association.


RE: 40K!
By JasonMick (blog) on 6/30/2008 10:34:59 AM , Rating: 2
Maybe I'm a bad person but anything to get my hands of the Volt :)

Besides, for all the griping $40k...that's downright affordable next to the Tesla Roadster.

Also, I don't get why people would complain about a government subsidy. With gas prices what they are, over the course of the car's lifetime it would repay the subsidy to the consumer. So the consumer would be getting in essence a tax break, and get a sweet car in the process.

Why do some love tax breaks dearly, but abhor alternative energy subsidies, when the end result of both is the same -- putting money back in the consumer's pocket?

I know there's a bit more to it than that, but that's the basic bottom line.


RE: 40K!
By masher2