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50 new vehicles by 2025: Ford making big push in China

SHANGHAI — Ford will launch 50 new vehicles in China by 2025, including 15 electrified vehicles, the U.S. firm said at an event in Shanghai on Tuesday, as it looks to rev up sales growth in the market and shift towards cleaner electric cars. Ford's sales in China have been weak in recent months, and the company is scrambling to come up with electric and hybrid vehicles to comply with strict Chinese quotas over production and sales for so-called new energy vehicles, or NEVs. The U.S. automaker is undergoing a broad review of its China operations, part of a strategic re-think under new Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett, which will likely see the company focus on electric commercial vans as well as electric cars. "Between now and 2025, we will launch 50 new vehicles in China, and of those 50 new vehicles, 15 of them will be all-new electrified vehicles," said Peter Fleet, Ford's head of Asia Pacific, pointing to big growth in the "utility" segment. Fleet also said Ford's China revenue would grow by 50 percent over the same period. China is pushing automakers toward electric and hybrid petrol-electric vehicles, setting tough quotas for NEVs that come into play in 2019, and has signaled a longer-term shift away from traditional internal combustion engine cars. The major shift in the world's largest auto market has jolted some automakers, sparking a spate of recent electric vehicle (EV) joint ventures in the market. Ford has announced an EV tie-up with China's Anhui Zotye Automobile Co Ltd. "We've never seen change like we do today," said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. "Everything is being disrupted" by the development of autonomous vehicles, trends such as ride-sharing and electric vehicles, he added. "It's clearly the case that China will lead the world in EV development, and so we at Ford are investing enormous amounts of money both here in China and globally to bring electrification into fruition." Reporting by Adam JourdanRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Auto News Green Plants/Manufacturing Ford Lincoln Electric Hybrid Shanghai Jim Hackett

2022 Honda Civic Si, Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring | Autoblog Podcast #708

This episode of the Autoblog Podcast features Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They talk about cars they've been driving, including the 2022 Honda Civic Si, 2022 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring plug-in hybrid and 2022 Subaru Ascent. After that, they spend someone's money. The subject specifically is whether a Ford Maverick is right for the person, or if they should maybe get something else. Autoblog Podcast #708 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving2022 Honda Civic Si 2022 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring 2022 Subaru Ascent Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ford tweaking Model E dealer program to address dealer concerns

Ford's been working on its strategy and sales reorganization for a couple of years, the initiative that created the Blue (ICE), Pro (commercial), and Model E (electric) divisions. On the Model E side, part of continuous reworking of the EV arm has been in response to dealer lawsuits filed in numerous states, since Model E not only stipulated investments of anywhere from $500,000 to $1.2 million, the automaker initially wanted dealers to set no-haggle pricing, offer remote pickup and delivery for service appointments, and build chargers that would operate around-the-clock. Another big part of the tweaks to Model E is the continually unstable ground the entire electric project is built on. As part of understanding what dealers are facing and how to keep the electric wheels turning, Automotive News reports that the automaker held 11 meetings with dealers this year in six cities. Based on the feedback, more changes are coming to Model E as soon as next month.   During the roadshow, Ford told dealers to pause their investments into getting certified for Model E. This directive followed a corporate change in plans as Ford pulled investments in battery-electrics in favor of consumers' choice for hybrids. The head of Ford Blue — the internal-combustion-powered division that, with Ford Pro, has been paying the bills as Model E posts big losses — told AN, "We don't want them to make any decisions between now and the middle of June, when you can maybe have a more informed decision-making process based off what we work out with council in the next few weeks." One change has already been made public, the VP of EV programs telling an AutoNews business conference audience, “What weÂ’re finding is more dealers want to be involved in it and we donÂ’t want to be exclusive to just a handful, and so weÂ’re making a change where weÂ’re opening up that and not requiring as many certifications or investments for a dealer to participate in the EV revolution." Don't take that comment as a revelation; since the beginning, dealers complained about being excluded and needing to throw so much money at the program. Take that comment as Ford needing to find a better way in the "rapidly changing" environment. The official list of updates won't come until next month, when Ford meets its dealer council, and it should touch on topics beyond EVs.