Ford details electrified plans

Ford has detailed seven of the 13 new global electrified vehicles it plans to introduce in the next five years.

The vehicles include a plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van in Europe, hybrid versions of the iconic F-150 pickup and Mustang in the US, and a fully electric SUV with an expected range of at least 300 miles for customers globally.

The automaker has also announced plans to invest $700 million to expand its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan into a factory that will build high-tech autonomous and electric vehicles along with the Mustang and Lincoln Continental. The expansion will create 700 direct new jobs.

The moves are part of a $4.5 billion investment in electrified vehicles by 2020, offering customers greater fuel efficiency, capability and power across Ford’s global vehicle line up. The plans are part of the company’s expansion to be an auto and a mobility company, including leading in electrified and autonomous vehicles and providing new mobility solutions.

‘As more and more consumers around the world become interested in electrified vehicles, Ford is committed to being a leader in providing consumers with a broad range of electrified vehicles, services and solutions that make people’s lives better,’ said Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO. ‘Our investments and expanding line up reflect our view that global offerings of electrified vehicles will exceed gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 15 years.’

Meanwhile, Ford has been extensively studying how past and current EV owners use their vehicles. The company has sold more than 520,000 electrified vehicles in North America since 2005 and 560,000 globally. In studying 33,000 Ford EV owners that have made 58 million unique trips, Ford has learned that 92% of battery electric car customers say they will purchase another battery electric vehicle as their next purchase, and 87% of plug-in hybrid customers want another plug-in for their next vehicle.