The New Mercury Mariner Hybrid has been rolled out with much fan fare and praise, and while I think it's a good thing, it's not amazing. The Mariner Hybrid like any other Mercury is just a rebadged Ford product. In this case it's an Escape Hybrid with that ugly waterfall grille.
This is the car that needs to be a Hybird! The Escape and Mariner twins are great. But the Fusion needs a Hybrid version quickly. If Ford wants to be competative in the future, they need to get this out on the market as quickly as possible. The best sellin Hybrid is the Toyota Prius and that car is a little quirky to say the least. I'm not saying the quality isn't here, I mean it's odd. If Ford wanted to make an impact, then a Fusion Hybrid would be an instant success with it's handsome styling and real world size and utility. Honda sells two more traditional looking hybrid cars the Accord and Civic, Ford could really do well with the Fusion Hybrid.
The Escape Hybrid is a great start, but don't stop there. Ford should be pushing forward with Hybrid and Diesel versions of the Escape, Fusion, Focus and Explorer. I don't mean a hybrid or a Diesel, I mean both. Hedge their bets. The Hybrids make more sense for urban or suburban people but Diesels would make more sense for people who drive long commutes.Ford needs to inovate and move forward instead of playing catch up and making big noise about hollow gestures. It's a fact that Ford has the worst EPA fuel economy ratings of the major manufacturers. Mostly because of their heavy reliance on truck and SUV sales. But Ford cars don't lead the way in economy either. The Fusion is not a gas guzzler, but Ford needs to get the technology into the market now.
2 comments:
The hybrid option is a good idea for Ford to place in thier vehicles but I belive Ford is still having a hard time obtaining hybrid systems from thier supplier.
Anonymous, I had read a few months ago that their supplier for the Batteries (a Japanese company) was under pressure from a Japanese auto Manufacturer ( I think Toyota) to guarantee them a steady supply and that leaves Ford waiting.
This is another reason Diesels should be available.
Ford needs to have a better flow of outsourced systems. That means Dieslels too. Ford doesn't make the Diesel engines for their Land Rover Freelander and stopped production for a few months, which hurt in the European market.
Post a Comment