Ford CEO Bill Ford Jr. is backing away from his much-publicized commitment to produce 250,000 hybrid vehicles a year by the end of the decade, reports the Detroit News. The company now intends to pursue a broader environmental strategy that focuses more on other alternative-fuel vehicles, according to the newspaper. “What I didn’t foresee at the time was how rapidly other technologies would evolve,” Bill Ford wrote in the e-mail to employees. “Now, I am convinced that the objective we had set earlier to build capacity for 250,000 hybrids at the end of the decade is too narrow to achieve our larger goals of substantially improving fuel economy and CO2 performance.” Ford said the automaker will now focus more on other fuels like ethanol, clean diesel and bio-diesel, as well as advanced engine and powertrain technologies like fuel cells.
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06/29, 9:51 AM
posted by:
Jon
I am going to buy Bill a shovel, to help him expedite his journey towards the grave.
Jon.
06/29, 10:02 AM
posted by:
joeb
Diesels are the bridge to the next generation of new fuel technologies and Ford is wise not to put all their eggs into the gasoline hybrid segment.
06/29, 10:06 AM
posted by:
Anonymous
‘Bout time someone faces reality. [too bad that clown in the White House is pulling us down with him.] Leave the touchy-feely, techno-gizzmo to the Nippon. For the short term give us decent little diesels in things smaller than a frickin’ F-350 Super Masher. …and get rid of the mouse-fir carpeting.
j i m
06/29, 10:13 AM
posted by:
Toy Yoda
The guy looks relatively young. You’d think he’d be more in touch with reality. While, hybrids aren’t THE answer, because there not a single solution to high gas prices. However, the technology used in hybrids will probably carry over to the next generation of solutions (plural!). If Ford keeps chaning it’s focus, it will end up doing alot of nothing. Look for Japan to give us the keys to the next generation of solutions.
06/29, 11:13 AM
posted by:
1c3d0g
#2: that’s excellent writing. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
06/29, 12:19 PM
posted by:
Derek
They aren’t bailing on hybrids altogether, they are simply realizing that the fad is not going to catch on with numbers that high because the cost of buying a hybrid doesn’t make up for the gas saved, everybody knows this. Average Joe does not care about the environment as much as all the greenies and only is concerned with saving money on fuel. Ethanol, Bio-diesel, along with hybrids will solve the problem. Did you really think all of America would be driving a Prius?
06/29, 2:02 PM
posted by:
Heydn
Agreed, #2 and #5.
06/29, 2:34 PM
posted by:
que
Give us diesel and slap on a particulate filter if you must. The one nice thing about the hybrid, though, is the concept of capturing and regenerating the power you scrub off when braking? But I reckon I can wait for a full electric for that. Until then, give us a clean efficient diesels in our US cars now!!!! NOT for our weekend cars we thrash at the track, mind you, but for the ones we use to get to work and back. I’ve been in Europe for a couple of years now and they are EVERYWHERE. Clean, quite, efficient…not unlike the Audi R10 I saw kick ass at Le Mans!!!! I could barely hear the thing. Weeks can go by between hybrid sighting here.
06/29, 5:20 PM
posted by:
Brandon
The hybrid promise just epitmizes Ford’s inability to take back lost market share. Mr. Ford is acknoledging that the Japanese (meaning Toyota) have slipped so far out ahead of Detroit radar, that he and Ford will simply try to redirect their efforts to what they see as easier targets, ie biodiesel, etc. By the time Ford and the other US auto companies get their act together with these other alternative energy solutions, the Japanese (Toyota) will have such a large percentage of the marketshare, the American consumer will be hard pressed to hear what Ford (and the others) are saying about biodiesel, etc) Let’s not forget the quality issue either. American car companies are pretty lousy at multitasking – if Ford focuses on new engine technologies, spending significant R&D in the process, this will compromise other areas of the Ford automobile – quality will slip. This will be another reason to stay with Toyota.
Mr. Ford, I’m not sure if there is anything that you can do to reverse what you and colleagues have created – its sort of like global warming – the events are already in process and likely out of our control.
06/29, 6:28 PM
posted by:
Michael Spadaro
Good. 250,000 hybrid vehicles was way unrealistic.
06/29, 7:00 PM
posted by:
anonymous
Ford is doing a good thing by not focusing soley on hybrids. The majority of car owners don’t want hybrids. It’s true that there’re a lot more options out their. I have yet to see any company focus soley on one type of technology for the future. Their are many options which I think all automakers should be doing some R&D on.
06/29, 9:06 PM
posted by:
The Stig
#8: Right on!!!! That’s the ticket.
Just blame Mark Fields for everything. Sooner or later Ford will too.
06/29, 9:35 PM
posted by:
anonymous
Hey, #12, why don’t you read comment #44 on this article:
http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/06/27/ford-bold-moves-episode-1-change-or-die/
If this person really works for Ford, he seems like a legitimate source for info. I’m sick of you people wishing death upon the american auto industry. Hey, maybe if you have your way, we can depend on other countries for everyhting! That’d be cool, right? NO!
06/29, 10:39 PM
posted by:
The Stig
#13: You cannot possibly be serious.