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NEWS
Blue Oval hybrid on the way
Ford to offer local market hybrid-drive technology – and possibly a successor to Toyota's petrol/electric CamryFord Australia has committed to bringing fuel-saving hybrid-drive technology to its local product range "within the next few years," in the words of Trevor Worthington, VP of Product Development for Ford in the Asia/Pacific region.
"I'm delighted to announce that we will introduce hybrid technology, to Australia and New Zealand, within the next few years," Worthington (pictured) told an audience of journalists at the Ford Go Further 2020 event in Melbourne yesterday.
"Ford is the second highest seller of hybrids, globally, so we're bringing our customers the benefits of our global experience in this field.
"Ford's hybrid technology offers a compelling combination of performance, efficiency and affordability. We look forward to providing more specifics, closer to the time."
This is a marked change from just two months ago, when Wes Sherwood, Ford Australia's Public Affairs Director, told motoring.com.au that "we have the tools in the toolbox, if there's demand [for a hybrid]; there's just not demand."
Sherwood was speaking at the time in the specific context of bringing a Mondeo Hybrid to Australia. Since then Ford has announced the hybrid Mondeo has begun to roll off the production line in Valencia, Spain.
Yesterday, Sherwood hinted that for Australia, Ford's hybrid offering would be limited to one drivetrain variant in a specific model range – and it would be a couple of years away yet. But when it arrives – and Mondeo seems likes a good prospect – it would be priced at around the same premium as an equivalent diesel variant is positioned above a petrol counterpart.
Sherwood says that in America it's as little as US $2000 to $3000 more than a conventional petrol model equipped to the same level as the hybrid. The hybrid version of the Mondeo now available overseas costs £24,995 in the UK – the same amount as a five-door Mondeo Titanium diesel with PowerShift transmission.
In the UK the Mondeo Titanium HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) sedan is distinct from the comparable Mondeo Titanium diesel with 2.0-litre engine in featuring a tyre repair kit rather than a spacesaver spare and running on 16-inch alloys instead of the diesel's 17-inch wheels. Otherwise the two cars – the diesel a hatch, the hybrid a sedan – are trimmed to the same level.
If Ford holds off bringing the Mondeo Titanium HEV to Australia for a couple of years, it will arrive right about the time Toyota is scheduled to end production of the locally-built Camry – including the Hybrid. It's a window of opportunity for Ford to slip a model in to take advantage of a competitor leaving the field. Toyota has not committed to importing the Camry Hybrid after manufacturing ends, but for those buyers who have converted to the cause, the Mondeo Titanium HEV has a ready-made market.
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Written byKen Gratton
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