Ford Unleashes a Slew of Hybrids on Europe, Including Some You Might Want
Amsterdam, home to green medicinal plants and red lights, was the site of a Ford product extravaganza on Tuesday, with the automaker announcing a number of hybrid or electric models for the highly regulated European market.
A total of sixteen electrified models made their (future) existence known, with most falling under the automaker’s new Ford Hybrid banner. Some, like the Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid and Focus EcoBoost Hybrid, are products thrifty American greenies can only dream of. There’ll be no more Fiestas or Focuses for you, sorry. Another is one Americans with loftier lifestyles might desire, and one Ford could sell here, but won’t: a plug-in Explorer.
Of course, Tuesday also brought a Ford announcement in the U.S. — that of the newly urbanized 2020 Escape, offered in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid guise. Europe’s version of this model, the Kuga, dons a similar strategy, as well as a much more Focus-inspired grille.
The jury’s out on which crossover has it better (or worse) on the styling front.
As part of its plan to offer an electrified version of every model in its lineup, Ford also plans to field a battery-electric Transit van for 2021, a model that might stimulate interest in North America. Ford wasn’t talking U.S. availability in Amsterdam, however. In the U.S., Ford recently announced a revamped Transit line for 2020, with the popular commercial vehicles adding new engines, all-wheel drive, and a 10-speed automatic.
Some may disagree, but the sexiest news arising from Ford’s Dutch greenfest did not involve discontinued American nameplates or vans. It was the Ford Explorer Plug-in Hybrid. While Ford will offer a hybrid variant of the recently launched 2020 Explorer in North America, the presence of a plug-in Lincoln Aviator in this market means the lesser Ford must go plugless, lest it steal some panache from its ritzier platform mate. It would also give the Explorer a sky-high MSRP.
Like the electrified Aviator, which won’t be sold in Europe, the Explorer Plug-in borrows a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, electric motor, and 13.1 kWh battery, good for a combined 444 horsepower and 620 lb-ft of torque. Electric driving range is estimated at 25 miles, presumably on the European WLTP cycle. In America, the Aviator Plug-in boasts 450 hp and 600 lb-ft, though we should mention those are “targeted” performance figures. (The Aviator lands at U.S. dealers this summer.)
For those Americans who like the idea of a high-performance plug-in Explorer, they’ll be even more annoyed to hear Europeans get an ST-line version with upgraded wheels and blacked-out trim.
[Images: Ford]
More by Steph Willems
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I thought Ford is shutting down or selling its European operations to VW. It looks like Ford Europe lives another day or two. Yes I drove Fusion hybrid and it is slow and battery takes too much space in the trunk. So I want BEV optimized platform.
While 25 miles of EV range isn't a lot (especially for that battery size), soccer moms could basically cover a whole day without using any gasoline. This would save both time from fueling up overall and be much less wear on the ICE. I always thought if GM put the Voltec technology into something like the Traverse and Equinox, they would have a really fantastic line of PHEV SUVs.