Ford Focus Electric 2015 Gets Big Price Cut — Down To $29,995 From $35,995
The Ford Focus Electric 2015 edition is getting a significant price cut of about $6000, down to $29,995, according to recent reports — thus finally putting it on competitive terms with the market leader, the Nissan LEAF.
Given that the EV version of the the Focus debuted at $39,995 four years ago, the recent price cut is pretty significant — and is presumably meant to address the fact that only about 4,000 units of the EV have sold since the sales debut in December 2011.
To explain the reference to “only 4000” — that number represents only around one-fifteenth of the number of Nissan LEAFs sold to date (over a period of time about one year longer).
“This is actually the second price cut for the Focus Electric, which was initially priced at $39,995 before a $4,000 discount was applied in 2013. That still left it as one of the most expensive EVs out there though, and sales didn’t bounce up the way they did for the LEAF and Volt,” Chris notes on sister site GAS2.
“Earlier this year, Ford had authorized $6,000 of cash back on all Focus Electrics. Such actions are often the prelude to a price reduction, as a $5,000 price cut on 2013 models proved to be for the 2014 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car,” Green Car Reports adds.
So, that means that the 2015 Focus Electric will be sold at a base price that’s $10,000 lower than the base price that it launched at — a pretty unusual situation. But, still, you can see where those in charge are probably coming from. The Nissan LEAF is the top-selling electric car in the US and the world, and it comes in under $30,000 after its own massive price cuts.
Something else to note — the price cut may put to rest the rumors that a plug-in hybrid version of the Focus Energi would be launched at some point tin the relatively near future. As this price drop seems to indicate that Ford will be focusing on pushing the standard EV version of the model.
As Chris aptly notes, $30,000 is an important target price for many US car buyers (that’s around the US average now), but with the federal tax credit for EVs, “the Focus effectively ends up priced at about $22,500, which should put it into consideration for a lot more car buyers.” Furthermore, in California, the price comes down to $19,995. The Focus Electric also has more bells and whistles than the Nissan LEAF.
The Ford Focus Electric is finally an actual contender in the electric vehicle sales race, no compliance car, which puts it in the company of the LEAF, Model S, BMW i3, Chevy Volt, Ford Energi models, and perhaps also the Toyota Prius Plug-in. Would you consider the car? Chris seems to be, writing: “Hell, I’m even considering one myself, though I’m probably just gonna hold out for the Tesla Model III instead.”
The biggest question I have, though, is how Ford brought down the Focus Electric’s price. The LEAF did so with US-based manufacturing, as well as economies of scale. Have Ford’s battery costs dropped? Has something else gotten much cheaper? Or is it just trying to compete in the fast-growing electric vehicle market?
Image Credit: Ford
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