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“We’ve got to place big bets” (Bill Ford, Jr.): OK, Then Launch An Electric (Not Hybrid) Mustang!


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Interesting article. I've long thought how unfortunate it is that Ford never innovates but traditionally only reacts to Market pressure. I was disappointed that Ford didn't include a Mustang Hybrid when the new car was introduced for the 2015MY. And imagine what the incremental sales potential there could be with the availability of a Mustang AWD option to compete with the 2-door AWD coupes available from other manufacturers. Sure, Ford's new CEO recently announced a plan to introduce a Mustang Hybrid, F-150 Hybrid, etc. with the next few years. I hope so but will believe it when I see it as Ford keeps making promises that only get fulfilled years after the competition has forced Ford to react in order to remain competitive. Just look at all the promises made for the Lincoln rebirth and look at how little new product has actually been introduced years after the Lincoln promises started.

 

Just my very quick random thoughts here. And thinking of how much damage Mark Fields did that will take years to overcome.

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they have needed Hybrid / plug in hybrid drivetrains in their Commercial vehicles for as long as I can remember....the opportunity is there to corner the market...and how long have we been hearing about the Hybrid pickups?....IMO Diesel drivetrains aren't going to be around too much longer....

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they have needed Hybrid / plug in hybrid drivetrains in their Commercial vehicles for as long as I can remember....the opportunity is there to corner the market...and how long have we been hearing about the Hybrid pickups?....IMO Diesel drivetrains aren't going to be around too much longer....

 

Well, hopefully the F-150 hybrid is the first step toward cornering that market. In theory, anything currently using an F-150 powertrain could use this hybrid system (that's why Mustang will get it, and I will not at all be surprised when Expy/Navi hybrids are announced after F-150 hybrid debuts). It'd only make sense that the vans could also somehow use the system (is there room to put batteries under the cargo floor?

Edited by rmc523
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Interesting article. I've long thought how unfortunate it is that Ford never innovates but traditionally only reacts to Market pressure. I was disappointed that Ford didn't include a Mustang Hybrid when the new car was introduced for the 2015MY. And imagine what the incremental sales potential there could be with the availability of a Mustang AWD option to compete with the 2-door AWD coupes available from other manufacturers. Sure, Ford's new CEO recently announced a plan to introduce a Mustang Hybrid, F-150 Hybrid, etc. with the next few years. I hope so but will believe it when I see it as Ford keeps making promises that only get fulfilled years after the competition has forced Ford to react in order to remain competitive. Just look at all the promises made for the Lincoln rebirth and look at how little new product has actually been introduced years after the Lincoln promises started.

 

 

 

Just my very quick random thoughts here. And thinking of how much damage Mark Fields did that will take years to overcome.

 

Agreed..i am 100% on board in that awd on the mustang needs to happen..rest of your state of the current ford state is spot on as well...

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they have needed Hybrid / plug in hybrid drivetrains in their Commercial vehicles for as long as I can remember....the opportunity is there to corner the market...and how long have we been hearing about the Hybrid pickups?....IMO Diesel drivetrains aren't going to be around too much longer....

It probably didn't help that the GM hybrid trucks didn't go over so well.

 

Wasn't there a hybrid Transit Connect?

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Interesting article. I've long thought how unfortunate it is that Ford never innovates but traditionally only reacts to Market pressure. I was disappointed that Ford didn't include a Mustang Hybrid when the new car was introduced for the 2015MY. And imagine what the incremental sales potential there could be with the availability of a Mustang AWD option to compete with the 2-door AWD coupes available from other manufacturers. Sure, Ford's new CEO recently announced a plan to introduce a Mustang Hybrid, F-150 Hybrid, etc. with the next few years. I hope so but will believe it when I see it as Ford keeps making promises that only get fulfilled years after the competition has forced Ford to react in order to remain competitive. Just look at all the promises made for the Lincoln rebirth and look at how little new product has actually been introduced years after the Lincoln promises started.

 

Just my very quick random thoughts here. And thinking of how much damage Mark Fields did that will take years to overcome.

And all-wheel-drive Mustang would certainly help improve its sales in the snow belt, aside from the performance advantages of it.

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It probably didn't help that the GM hybrid trucks didn't go over so well.

 

Wasn't there a hybrid Transit Connect?

I think trying to combine the 2 groups is a mistake..that is truck buyers and hybrid/electric/environment conscience buyers..about 30million are shopping for and wanting trucks which is same number wanting lectric/hybrids..my gut is leave trucks out of this and just give both groups what they want..forcing truck buyers to have hybrid/lectric trucks i think may be a marketing disaster...same thing trying to pull diesels out of trucks..the diesel is not going anywhere..batteries are far more harmful to the environment then diesels are..where do all those heavy metal batteries go when the are shot?..right to the landfill where they leach out and destroy..not good..i will stick to trucks with a diesel or gas engine

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Sure, Ford's new CEO recently announced a plan to introduce a Mustang Hybrid, F-150 Hybrid, etc. with the next few years. I hope so but will believe it when I see it as Ford keeps making promises that only get fulfilled years after the competition has forced Ford to react in order to remain competitive.

 

The F-150 Hybrid is coming. I guarantee it. We did prep work for it and the diesel on the line during summer shutdown.

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It probably didn't help that the GM hybrid trucks didn't go over so well.

 

Wasn't there a hybrid Transit Connect?

 

Actually, I think in that big announcement that they mentioned a hybrid Transit Custom for Europe, didn't they?

 

As for the GM hybrid trucks....didn't they offer little in the form of true gains to make them worthwhile? And/or that they were priced so high they weren't worth it?

 

 

The F-150 Hybrid is coming. I guarantee it. We did prep work for it and the diesel on the line during summer shutdown.

 

Hmm...interesting! Have any more info? Or none that you can share?

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Actually, I think in that big announcement that they mentioned a hybrid Transit Custom for Europe, didn't they?

 

As for the GM hybrid trucks....didn't they offer little in the form of true gains to make them worthwhile? And/or that they were priced so high they weren't worth it?

 

They were mild hybrids, essentially just auto start/stop if I remember correctly.

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At this point if they're taking a "place big bets" attitude they should buy Lucid. Bringing the Air to market would make a pretty big step into serious EV business, especially if the platform is flexible enough to cough up another model or two. I'm undecided whether the best play would be to simply make Lucid a new FoMoCo subsidiary or to essentially merge it with Lincoln and send Linc in an EVs/Hybrids-heavy direction now rather than in the future when it will have to anyway. But the Air has big potential, with big risk, and it's there to be had if Ford has the guts to do it.

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There was something odd about them, but I don't recall what it was, other than they were decried for not being "true hybrids."

It's a PHEV Hybrid....

 

Ford Transit Custom plug-in hybrid electric van - all the latest news

http://www.parkers.co.uk/vans/news-and-advice/2017/january/ford-transit-custom-plug-in-hybrid/

 

28 April 2017 by CJ Hubbard, Vans Editor Last Updated: 26 Jul 2017

Ford has announced it is to build a Transit Custom plug-in hybrid as part of its plan to launch 13 new electric vehicles in the next five years which means Britain's best-selling van will soon come with an extension lead.

Trials of the Transit Custom PHEV (that’s Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) will begin in London later in 2017, ahead of it going on sale to the public in 2019 as part of the newly facelifted range.

 

 

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JPD, no, there were Hybrid versions of the Silverado, it wasn't just start/stop. If memory serves there were two generations - the initial one was a mild hybrid, but then there was a "2-Mode" Silvy using the same hybrid system as the Tahoe, which was co-developed with BMW(who never used it) and DaimlerChrysler (Who made like a dozen hybrid Durangos).

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batteries are far more harmful to the environment then diesels are..where do all those heavy metal batteries go when the are shot?..right to the landfill where they leach out and destroy..not good..i will stick to trucks with a diesel or gas engine

 

Recycling and repurposing of hybrid batteries...

 

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1093810_electric-car-batteries-what-happens-to-them-after-coming-out-of-the-car

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At this point if they're taking a "place big bets" attitude they should buy Lucid. Bringing the Air to market would make a pretty big step into serious EV business, especially if the platform is flexible enough to cough up another model or two. I'm undecided whether the best play would be to simply make Lucid a new FoMoCo subsidiary or to essentially merge it with Lincoln and send Linc in an EVs/Hybrids-heavy direction now rather than in the future when it will have to anyway. But the Air has big potential, with big risk, and it's there to be had if Ford has the guts to do it.

 

They'd have to make it a Lincoln or not do it at all. Adding Lucid on top of/parallel to Lincoln would just relegate Lincoln to the back burner unnecessarily. Instead, they could apply the Lucid technology to Lincoln products. You could even call the initial model Lincoln Lucid.

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JPD, no, there were Hybrid versions of the Silverado, it wasn't just start/stop. If memory serves there were two generations - the initial one was a mild hybrid, but then there was a "2-Mode" Silvy using the same hybrid system as the Tahoe, which was co-developed with BMW(who never used it) and DaimlerChrysler (Who made like a dozen hybrid Durangos).

Wasn't it start stop combined with cylinder deactivation?

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