Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Ford may pass Honda as second best hybrid seller in U.S.]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/ford-may-pass-honda-as-second-best-hybrid-seller-in-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/ford-may-pass-honda-as-second-best-hybrid-seller-in-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/16/ford-may-pass-honda-as-second-best-hybrid-seller-in-u-s/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


2009 Ford Escape Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

There's no doubt about which automaker leads the hybrid vehicle race. Toyota - and particularly the Japanese automaker's Prius hybrid - outsells all other manufacturers combined. In total, Automotive News calculates that Toyota sold 144,351 hybrid vehicles in the first nine months of 2009, which actually represents a 28-percent drop from the previous year.

So far this year, Honda has come in second with its new Insight, but that position is currently in jeopardy. The 26,016 hybrid vehicles sold by Ford in the first nine months of the year represents an impressive 73-percent gain from last year. Honda has sold 29,958 hybrids so far in '09, representing a much smaller eight-percent increase. In both July and September, Ford actually sold more hybrids than Honda.

In other words, Ford, led by its Escape Hybrid and new-for-2010 Fusion Hybrid, is gaining on Honda at a very rapid pace. Moving on down the line, General Motors slots in at number four with 12,556 total hybrid so far this year and Nissan's 7,713 units make it the number five hybrid seller in the U.S.


Gallery: ABG Garage: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited


[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Ford may pass Honda as second best hybrid seller in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ford escape hybridford fusion hybridford hybridford hybrid salesford mustangFordEscapeHybridFordFusionHybridFordHybridFordHybridSalesFordMustanghondahonda hybridhonda hybrid salesHonda InsightHondaHybridHondaHybridSalesHondaInsighttoyotatoyota hybridtoyota hybrid salestoyota priusToyotaHybridToyotaHybridSalesToyotaPriusFri, 16 Oct 2009 13:33:00 EST<![CDATA[Act silly, get a Ford Fusion Hybrid [w/VIDEO]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/10/act-silly-get-a-ford-fusion-hybrid-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/10/act-silly-get-a-ford-fusion-hybrid-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/10/act-silly-get-a-ford-fusion-hybrid-w-video/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Mark Malkoff lurves the Fusion Hybrid - Click above to watch the video after the jump

Ford has already demonstrated strong, puppetmaster-like abilities with the whole Fiesta Agent thing. In exchange for agreeing to go on secretive "missions," a few dozen people were given a Ford Fiesta for six months this year (they're about due to give them back). Building from of that idea, comedian Mark Malkoff - yes, the guy who slept in an IKEA store for a week - is trying to collect the "Keys to the City" from as many cities as possible this month. Malkoff has convinced Ford to loan him a new Fusion hybrid while he travels around and performs a few stunts to earn those keys - including collecting all of the coins from a fountain in Fairfax, VA and cleaning up after the police horses in Harrisburg, PA.

We're not quite sure who's pulling who's strings here, but it seems someone's getting played. At least it's all in good fun. There's a video of Malkoff figuring out what the keys to the city are all about after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Act silly, get a Ford Fusion Hybrid [w/VIDEO]

Act silly, get a Ford Fusion Hybrid [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009 Ford Escape Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

Last week, our friends from Consumer Reports got the chance to sit down with Mark Fields, Ford's vice president of North American operations, and some interesting information was gleaned. For instance, CR says Fields "implied the company isn't making money on the hybrids it sells today, and it is looking at ways to "enhance revenue" from them." Not surprising, really, but an interesting admission nonetheless.

There are a few ways Ford could try and recoup some of its hybrid powertrain R&D costs, most logically being to extend the technology across its line and into more expensive products - possibly from Lincoln, mimicking the strategy Toyota uses with its Lexus division. In addition to hybrid and electric cars, Fields says Ford is also interested in diesels but isn't currently planning to sell any oil burners in passenger cars. Instead, Ford's diesel efforts are likely to continue focused on pickups.

Speaking of which, Ford's light duty diesel engine for the F-150 is apparently still somewhat on the agenda. Earlier reports, says Fields, that said the program had been canceled aren't entirely accurate. Instead, the smaller diesel was merely "delayed," though we have no idea for how long.


Gallery: ABG Garage: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited


[Source: Consumer Reports]

REPORT: Ford's Mark Fields implies company makes no money on hybrids originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite all the clamor about how hybrids are going to save the planet, cure cancer, facilitate the second coming, etc., sales of battery-pack-mobiles are down nearly ten percent for 2008. At the beginning of 2008, it looked like hybrids were going to have their best year ever, driven by high fuel prices and a recessive economy. That recession, however,has caused consumers to cut way back, leading to dramatic drop in fuel prices, killing much of the argument for a hybrid's price premium. Consumers shy away from hybrids when fuel dips below $3.50 per gallon, and the incessant clang of news stories about expensive fuel also dries up, causing the issue of fuel efficiency to fall from consciousness.

Toyota is still the hybrid sales king, with 241,000 units shifted in 2008. Honda managed to ring up 31,000 sales, and Ford came in third with nearly 20,000 vehicles sold. While nearly every automaker offering hybrids is down (Nissan actually saw a 5 percent increase, and General Motors garnered a whopping 179 percent jump thanks to its 2008 introductions), Ford was hardest hit, with a 22 percent drop. Some might say "we told you so" about the way things have played out - by the time everyone got on board with more efficient offerings, the bottom has fallen out of the price of fuel - and others might use the sales figures to agitate for a gas tax to stimulate the purchase of fuel efficient vehicles.

[Source: Auto News - sub req]

Hybrid sales slide 9.9% in 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>escalade hybridEscaladeHybridford escapeford fusion hybridford hybridFordEscapeFordFusionHybridFordHybridgm hybridGmHybridhonda hybridHondaHybridhybridhybrid car saleshybrid carshybrid saleshybrid vehiclehybrid vehicle saleshybrid vehiclesHybridCarsHybridCarSaleshybridsHybridSalesHybridVehicleHybridVehiclesHybridVehicleSalesnissan hybridNissanHybridsales figuresSalesFigurestahoe hybridTahoeHybridtoyota priusToyotaPriusSun, 25 Jan 2009 16:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Ford's Mark Fields calls plug-in hybrids a "national priority"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/12/fords-mark-fields-calls-plug-in-hybrids-a-national-priority/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/12/fords-mark-fields-calls-plug-in-hybrids-a-national-priority/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/12/fords-mark-fields-calls-plug-in-hybrids-a-national-priority/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

In these days of nearly nonexistent profits for every one of Detroit's Big Three automakers, R&D funds must be allocated very carefully. In contrast, Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda have been earning profits on a yearly basis. Not long ago, a mild spat arose regarding whether or not the Japanese government helped fund the development of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive. Even if they didn't do it in the past, Ford's President of the Americas Mark Fields indicated that they are doing it now at a conference held today in Washington, D.C. by Brookings and Google.org titled Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?

Fields called on the U.S. government to step up to the plate, mentioning tax breaks and incentives as one option to aid consumers who'd like to purchase these ultimately expensive vehicles one day. On the manufacturing side, Fields suggests that plug-in hybrids should be a "national priority", with Washington needing to allocate funds for research and development. Another area singled out is a domestic supply of batteries, since most of the units used in today's hybrids are being manufactured overseas.

It should be noted that General Motors already has a head start towards PHEVs with its upcoming Chevy Volt. As far as we're aware, the development costs for this vehicle and its batteries has been moving forward without direct assistance from the government. Feel free to read Field's entire speech after the break.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford's Mark Fields calls plug-in hybrids a "national priority"

Ford's Mark Fields calls plug-in hybrids a "national priority" originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>batteriesfordford hybridFordHybridhybrid batteriesHybridBatteriesphevplug inplug-inplug-in hybridPlug-inHybridpluginpluginsThu, 12 Jun 2008 08:26:00 EST<![CDATA[Ford Escort may return as 100mpg hybrid]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/24/ford-escort-may-return-as-100mpg-hybrid/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/24/ford-escort-may-return-as-100mpg-hybrid/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/24/ford-escort-may-return-as-100mpg-hybrid/#commentsFiled under: , ,



What would it take for Ford to get you interested in a new Escort? In its heyday, the Escort was quite popular, but managed to build up a bundle of negative brand equity. In less than three years, Ford reportedly hopes to woo Escort buyers back with a 100 mpg plug-in hybrid model. Numbers like that would certainly get some interest, and give competitors like GM's Volt and Toyota's Prius plenty to think about. And if the 2011 Escort looks anything like the renderings on Next Energy News, it should be able to make lots of money for Ford.

According to the report at Next Energy, the new Escort would be a single mode hybrid more like Toyota's drivetrain instead of the dual-mode system GM and Chrysler are developing. But the new car would be a brand new platform for Ford, and wouldn't be built using another company's proven hybrid system.

Ford's hybrid would likely utilize A123 Systems nanophosphate lithium-Ion batteries, which are also being used by the Saturn Aura and Chevy Volt.

[Source: Next Energy News via GM Inside News]

Ford Escort may return as 100mpg hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>escort hybridEscortHybridFord escort hybridford hybridFordEscortHybridFordHybridMon, 24 Sep 2007 18:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Video: Kermit the Frog caught moonlighting for BMW]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/07/video-kermit-the-frog-caught-moonlighting-for-bmw/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/07/video-kermit-the-frog-caught-moonlighting-for-bmw/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/07/video-kermit-the-frog-caught-moonlighting-for-bmw/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

It appears that 'being green' is a bit easier than originally thought. How else to explain Kermit sawing away at the helm of a BMW 1-Series, kickin' up dust in a South African desert and having a gay old time with the not-for-U.S. consumption five door? This, when he's under contract in the States to plug Ford's Escape Hybrid.

Apparently, Henson's pig-lovin' Fröschlein has himself a solid agent... or at least Steve Whitmire (the guy with his hand up Kermie's posterior) does. Autoblog had dinner with SW (and Kermit) in Chicago this year at a private pre-show Ford function, but would seem that the man pulling the strings has found himself some better representation.

Check out the link for both the final BMW advert and a 'making-of' featurette.

[Source: Fresh Creation]

Video: Kermit the Frog caught moonlighting for BMW originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jun 2006 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1-SeriesBMWeasy being greenEasyBeingGreenFord HybridFordHybridJim HensonJimHensonkermit the frogKermitTheFrogmuppetOne-SeriespuppetSouth African DesertSouthAfricanDesertWed, 07 Jun 2006 13:06:00 EST