Increased Sales Prompt Ford to Double MKZ Hybrid Production to 40% of Total for 2014
When the Lincoln MKZ was introduced, Ford Motor Co. took the unusual step of pricing the MKZ Hybrid the same as the non-hybrid version of the car, $35,925. Assuming that would mean a good take rate for the Hybrid, Ford production planners for the 2013 model year set the mix at 20% for the gas-electric MKZ. The take rate turned out to be so good that for 2014, 40% of MKZs made will be hybrids. That’s what Raj Nair, Ford’s group vice president of global product development, said at the automaker’s Dearborn campus on Tuesday. Hybrid sales in the U.S. market overall are up 18.3% for the first six months of this year, compared to 2012, and Ford has been benefiting from that surge. Ford’s share of the hybrid and EV market is now close to 16%, a huge improvement of 12% over last year. The C-Max, Fusion and MKZ hybrids have given the company a strong presence in the hybrid market. Ford attributes part of it’s overall U.S. market share increase of almost 1% over 2012 to electrified vehicle growth. For the first six months of 2013, Lincoln sold 3,090 MKZ Hybrid models, an average of 515 cars a month, but now that production delays that hampered the revised MKZ’s launch have apparently been overcome, for the 2nd quarter sales exceeded 715 units each month, closely matching the current build rate at Ford’s Hermosillo, Mexico assembly plant.
Source: The Detroit News
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This should shock absolutely no one. If you want a plush daily driver that gets a real world 40MPG you have exactly three choices. Toyota Avalon, Lexus ES300h (really those should count as one model) and Lincoln MKZ. Out of those options, the Lincoln is the best value, and it has higher EPA MPG ratings, for whatever that's worth.
My mind is still boggling that a Lincoln Hybrid sells that well. Who'd have thunk it? Disclosure: I have a weak spot for FOMOCO. Even had a Pinto with a racing stripe; a 4cyl Starsky and Hutch-mobile. Oh wait! 80% of my commute is on a arrow straight traffic light clogged highway. Now a Lincoln makes perfect sense.
Latest issue CR states that the MKZ hybrid is the worst hybrid in terms of meeting advertised EPA ratings in its standardized testing.
Increasing hybrid mix to 40% from 20% (as sunridge place calc'd above) sounds a lot like MKZ is dropping the V6 or will be repositioning the hybrid as the entry model. Combined with Raj Nair's comments last month that the industry could be 2/3 4cyl in a few years, I see a lot of credence that the V6 is on borrowed time.