It appears that the 2015 Ford Focus Electric will get a major price cut of $6,000, bringing the suggested retail price to $29,995--more in line with the best-selling Nissan Leaf.
The battery-electric Focus is now in its fourth model year, and only about 4,000 have been sold since it first went on sale in December 2011.
That's roughly one-fifteenth the number of Nissan Leaf electric cars that have been sold (over a period one year longer).
2015 Nissan Leaf
Both the Focus Electric and the Leaf are five-door hatchbacks the size of conventional compact cars, with rated ranges between 80 and 85 miles.
The report comes via LeftLaneNews, which sources it to a dealer document it acquired.
The site also reports that Ford will similarly discount any remaining 2014 Focus Electric models now on dealer lots.
Earlier this year, Ford had authorized $6,000 of cash back on all Focus Electrics.
Such actions are often the prelude to a price reduction, as a $5,000 price cut on 2013 models proved to be for the 2014 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car.
This isn't the first time Ford has cut prices on the Focus Electric, either. The 2014 model was $4,000 less than its 2012 and 2013 predecessors, which were launched at $39,995.
2015 Ford Focus Electric
That means the 2015 electric Focus carries a base price fully $10,000 lower than its launch price--fairly unusual among so-called volume models.
But the cut may have been a necessity for Ford to make even the minimum number of sales required under California's zero-emission vehicle sales rules.
Focus Electric sales were 1,738 in 2013, and are running at a rate of about 2,000 so far this year.
The price cut would seem to lessen any chances that the rumored Ford Focus Energi plug-in hybrid model will be launched.
The 2015 Focus lineup, a "mid-cycle refresh" with updated styling and additional features, came and went with little change to the electric version and no added Energi model.
Through September, Ford has sold 15,809 Energi plug-in hybrid models, against only 1,534 Focus Electrics.
2012 Ford Focus Electric launch, New York City, January 2011 - Nancy Gioia
The company has long downplayed its only battery-electric vehicle, stressing its limitations and suggesting that it will be unsuitable for many buyers--startling behavior for any automaker.
That has generated much debate over whether the Focus Electric is a compliance car, built only in minimal numbers to meet regulations, or a genuine effort to sell electric cars beyond states that have adopted California's rules.
This year's price cut may give Ford another chance to show it's serious about selling electric cars, but advocates will likely remain to be convinced.
Source: Green Car Reports
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