DETROIT ? There?s a growing divergence in the nascent hybrid market. The first gasoline-electric vehicles, such as Honda?s teardrop-shaped Insight, focused solely on delivering great fuel economy. The Lexus GS450h, planned for launch next spring, will be tweaked to emphasize performance, trading off some of its fuel efficiency. Ford Motor Co. chose the high-mileage route with its first two hybrid-electric vehicles, the Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. And North American product development chief Phil Martens told TheCarConnection.com, Ford has no plans to switch direction.
?We don?t have any plans to do a performance hybrid,? Martens declared, adding that to his mind, ?not many people need a C/D (mid-size) sedan that can go 0-60 in under seven seconds.? But after a brief pause, Martens hedged his bets, cautioning that ?the future is still a little fuzzy.? Martens stressed he is convinced that the market will increasingly embrace hybrid technology. How fast sales grow is unclear, he cautioned.
On Wednesday, Jim Press, CEO of Toyota?s U.S. arm, said hybrids could account for as much as a quarter of the company?s American volume by decade?s end. Martens questioned that number. Part of the problem, he said, is a lack of a hybrid hardware supply base. ?We have to develop the supply base in the U.S.,? he said, adding that Ford will form strategic partnerships with a limited number of suppliers, rather than follow its normal sourcing practices.
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