sales in 2018, according to research firm LMC Automotive. Hybrids, which were popularized by Toyota’s Prius last decade as a social statement, accounted for about 3% of U.S. While hybrid and all-electric vehicle sales have increased over time, the technology has failed to catch on more broadly. Those factors make going straight to all-electric cars a risky strategy, analysts say. Concerns about the battery range, along with a lack of places to plug in, also deter buyers from considering electric vehicles. Today, auto companies generally lose money on each electric car they sell, mostly because of the high cost of lithium-ion batteries. “We’re going to be aggressively chasing this space of hybrids.” “We can’t say to the customer ‘You have to take an all-electric vehicle,’” said David Filipe, Ford’s head of powertrain engineering. Toyota wants to build on the success of the Prius by expanding its hybrid lineup. The Toyota Prius Prime was on display at the New York International Auto Show in 2016. and overseas markets, seeing them as an interim product for the majority of the car buyers that still drive gasoline vehicles and may not be ready for an all-electric ride.įord, for instance, plans to add hybrid versions of popular models like the F-150 pickup truck and Ford Explorer, in an effort to boost the fuel economy of its fleet in the near-term while continuing to develop fully electric models for farther down the road. Toyota, Ford and other car companies have made hybrids a core part of their plans for both the U.S. , one of the world’s biggest car-parts makers, said it would cut investment in conventional engine parts because of a faster-than-expected fall in demand-yet another sign the industry is accelerating the shift to electric vehicles.
GM HYBRID VEHICLES FULL
The differing strategies show a division within the auto industry over what is the best path to full electrification, as manufacturers pivot from their more than century-old reliance on gas-powered vehicles. , which are working on full electrics but also expanding their U.S. GM’s view contrasts with other auto-making giants, including “If I had a dollar more to invest, would I spend it on a hybrid? Or would I spend it on the answer that we all know is going to happen, and get there faster and better than anybody else?” GM President Mark Reuss said in an interview. next year and an electric version of its minibus around 2022.
Volkswagen has committed billions to producing more battery-powered models, including introducing a small plug-in SUV in the U.S. GM plans to launch 20 fully electric vehicles world-wide in the next four years, including plug-in models in the U.S.
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