The launch of Ford’s three-row electric SUV has been postponed until 2027 as the brand reverts to offering hybrid powertrains across its lineup of gas-powered cars, Ford announced on Thursday.
Ford is the latest automaker to pump the brakes on ambitious plans to make all-electric vehicles within a certain timeframe. In January, GM announced it would bring back plug-in hybrids five years after it discontinued the Chevy Volt as a bridge to its sustainability goals of eliminating tailpipe emissions by 2035.
Bearish on EVs, Toyota has promoted a mixed powertrain portfolio as the way moving forward. The world’s leading hybrid automaker offers plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles, and fuel-cell electrics.
Ford appears to be embracing the mixed powertrain plan as EV demand has cooled despite the proliferation of electric vehicles. EV sales continue to grow, with 1.2 million units in 2023 accounting for 7.6% of the market share, up from 5.9% in 2022, according to Kelley Blue Book. The EV growth isn’t as fast as automakers expected when they began pledging all-electric portfolios.
Instead, consumers have favored a more mixed approach. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles accounted for a record 16.3% of market share in 2023, up from 12.9% in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That percentage continues to increase, as the second half of 2023 saw a market segment of 17.9% for the electrified vehicles mentioned above. The higher costs and questionable infrastructure related to electric vehicles have tempered market enthusiasm.
In the first quarter of 2024, Ford said its EV sales increased 86% and hybrid sales were up 42% from a year ago.
“We are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid and fully electric vehicles at the right time,” Ford president and CEO Jim Farley said in a statement.
The change in timing is the main news element of Ford’s updated product plans.
Ford electric vehicles based on MEB platform due by 2024
Ford delays electric truck, electric 3-row crossover
Ford’s next electric truck, dubbed the Project T3 and planned to be sold alongside the F-150 Lightning, was delayed from 2025 to 2026. It will be built in Ford’s mammoth BlueOval City in Tennessee, on a campus that incorporates vehicle assembly, battery production, and a supplier park.
Additionally, the three-row electric SUV planned for 2025 has been bumped back to 2027. That will be built in Ford’s Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada, as the plant is currently being retooled from combustion engine production to EV production. The discontinued Ford Edge midsize crossover SUV was made in Oakville, as was the Lincoln Nautilus. The redesigned 2024 Lincoln Nautilus is now made in China.
2024 Ford Maverick
Ford brings back hybrids, extends it across gas lineup
The other big news element from Thursday’s announcement was Ford’s plans to offer hybrid powertrains across its lineup of gas vehicles by 2030. It discontinued the Ford Explorer hybrid this year, likely to redesign its hybrid powertrain and improve its 27-mpg combined rating. The success of the Ford Maverick small truck with a hybrid powertrain option may have fueled Ford’s renewed commitment to hybrids.
If Ford follows through on its hybrid plans, then a hybrid Mustang muscle car first promised in 2017 could come to market, perhaps as a replacement to the classic 5.0-liter V-8. Expect hybrid options on the Ford Bronco, Ford Bronco Sport, the new Ranger midsize pickup, and even the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator full-size SUVs. The F-150 has a popular hybrid option, but it remains to be seen if a hybrid will extend to Ford’s Super Duty line of heavy duty pickup trucks.