ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rating

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

FEH won't be able to compete with Prius v. I think it is a good decision from Ford. They'll use C-Max hybrid to compete with similar MPG.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Better Highway MPG rating...and what about city MPG?

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

and what happens when Rav4 Hybrid arrives? Because it will. Next generation Rav4 should be announced in few months and go on sale until end of 2012, and it will definitively have hybrid system.

Hybrids are all about economies of scales... it seems Ford doesnt believe in hybrid technology anymore. I cant see hows that good for anyone.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

I keep reading these OLD articles how the C-max it supposed to be available early 2012 ... and I hope so. But for a vehicle that's SUPPOSED to be ready, it sure made NO sense that there were NONE at the big Alt car expo last week in Santa Monica CA. I'm just saying . . . .

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

So does anyone have a reason as to why Ford is outdoing cautiousness over Toyota?

Ford was the American leader in hybrid technology and still have a great options and appeared to be headed towards EVs quickly as well. but its becoming obvious that well intentions do not a product make.

i keep hearing that the Focus EV is going to be out any day now (this is from sister who works for Ford) but even they are pretty up in the air about it

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

what does that even mean? What they are doing is reducing hybrid options.
They are putting hybrind in low selling vehicle and removing it from high selling vehicles.

You have Toyota wanting to put it in all of their vehicles. To compete, Ford has to sell as many as it can so their cost to produce will go down.

Right now Ford sells less than 50k/year when it comes to Hybrids and they seem to want to sell less, and not more.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Rick, the Escape also offers way more ground clearance. If the Escape could pull off Prius v numbers I'd seriously consider dumping my GenII for one! Well assuming price is similar.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

True, but mostly because there isn't much else for hybrids that aren't sedans or hatchbacks. The Escape is definitely smaller, perhaps Prius vs. Camry smaller. In 4WD trim, it has basically the same fuel economy as the Highlander Hybrid (a hair more if you believe the EPA, a hair less if you believe Consumer Reports). The FEH's real advantage is in price and it's a big advantage. Granted, at least in my opinion, the Highlander is like a Lexus side-by-side next to the FEH and there's no comparison in performance, either.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

checking the wiki files - there's an anomaly in that highlander is 600 pounds lighter than the escape ... yet the cargo volume is 95 cubic feet for the highlander to 66 cubic feet for escape. I always thought that the escape looked smaller. It'd seem the highlander was just built better, from a prospective of being lighter and having more cargo room. Maybe that's why the hybrid is getting dumped ... can't compete?

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: September 2011 - KickingTires

Escape was the highest selling SUV this year and last month, coming overall at number 6 in vehicles. The hybrid take rate is at a low percentage. The hybrid system is long in the tooth, and requires a major and expensive redesign. They decided to do this in the c-max, and will include a plug-in. The c-max is a major effort involving bringing the manufacture of the psd in house from aisin. Aisin supply problems were blamed for production problems with the escape. They also have shifted batteries to lithium and away from toyota majority owned pev supply. These are major logistical changes and may involve production hiccups.

Ford's electrification strategy is more conservative than Nissan, GM, and Toyota, but they were able to avoid government help unlike their other american competitors.

There is no expiration of terms of the ford/toyota cross licensing agreement. It was an old system and ford and toyota have made much progress. I would not count out a future hybrid version. I agree that escape does not compete against prius v.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

According to hybridcars, the FEH sold 566 last month, 7305 for the year, both significant drops from last year and less overall than the RX450H SUV. It does seem likely the FEH has some of the same Japan-related supply issues. Even Toyota seems to only be pumping out higher margin RX450h and some HH in Limited trim since the Earthquake/Tsunami. Looks like the GM big hybrids aren't selling at all, either.

September 2011 Dashboard: Consumers Favor Trucks Over Hybrids | Hybrid Cars

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

+1

They are definitely moving forward as you say with electrification. They are adding the c-max hybrid and c-max energi (PHEV) as well as the focus EV while only dropping the escape hybrid. The escape does add a new more efficient drivetrain that makes the hybrid a tougher sell. For the F150 and mid-sized SUV they have announced a partnership with toyota that should produce new hybrids in 5-10 years. Now they could be moving faster and producing a f150 hybrid and new escape hybrid next year, but ford is definitely working to bring hv, phev, and bev drivetrains to more of their vehicles.

The c-max should get around 40mpg combined. The escape hybrid was 33 city, 31 hwy, 32 combined. The new 1.6L ecoboost escape should get at least 24 city, 32 hwy, 27 combined. This is still in the fuel economy ball park of the Toyota highlander highbrid but smaller and slower.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

RAV 4 Hybrid?
I thought next generation RAV was supposed to have an EV but not a hybrid?
I'd be happy to be wrong, since my wife would consider buying a RAV 4 hybrid, but the EV I've heard describeed won't have quite enough range for her purposes.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

It is also designed with off road use in mind. Unlike the Highlander.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat