Ford EV Plans For China Are Ambitious. For The US? Not So Much.

Mark Fields is in China this week to talk about Ford EV plans. “The time is right for Ford to expand our EV lineup and investments in China,” Ford’s CEO said. “We are prioritizing our electrification efforts on China to reflect its importance as a global electrified vehicle market and to make lives better, simpler and more cost effective for Chinese consumers.”

Fields confirmed his company will have two new electrified vehicles for China and a broad range of EVs by 2025. The Mondeo Energi — a rebadged version of the Ford Fusion Energi — will arrive in China in 2018. It will be manufactured in China by a joint venture between Ford and Changan. The company will also introduce a fully electric SUV to the Chinese market within 5 years.

China is the world’s largest new energy vehicle market thanks to strong government support and growing customer acceptance. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, “new energy vehicles” — which include hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric cars — are expected to account for more than 15% of total passenger vehicle sales in China by 2025.

More than 20 million new cars are sold in China every year, making it the largest automobile market in the world. To address the diverse needs of consumers in China, including the growing demand for EVs, Ford will offer a comprehensive range of electrified solutions by that time. In fact, Ford expects 70% of the cars it sells in China will have an electric motor by 2025.

Ford will begin building powertrains in China by 2020. It plans to expand its new energy vehicle engineering capabilities at its Nanjing Research and Engineering Center with a focus on incorporating Chinese customer needs into Ford’s next generation EV technologies. In January, Ford confirmed that 13 new global EVs will launch in the next five years as part of its $4.5 billion investment in future mobility solutions. Its planned small electric SUV is expected to have a range of 280 miles. It will be sold in North America, Europe, and China.

Gas2 readers may be suffering a bit of cognitive dissonance at this point. Isn’t this the same Mark Fields who says people in the US don’t want electric cars? Isn’t he also the same fellow who has been haranguing Donald Trump to undo the CAFE regulations put in place in January, claiming they will lead to the loss of 1,000,000 American manufacturing jobs? Why is he now on the other side of the world bragging about Ford’s commitment to EVs?

That $4.5 billion investment in mobility over ten years is a joke. Hyundai and Kia are spending more than double that to bring their Ioniq/Niro cars to market now with an all electric SUV set to debut next year. Ford says it will have an electric SUV in 5 years. Has it even started on its SUV yet? The Tesla Model X will be 7 model years old by the time the Ford EV SUV hits the road. Ford is rapidly becoming a “Me, too” company, one that follows the market rather than leads. At this rate, it will be lucky to still be in business by 2025.

Source: Electric  Cars Report