Automotive News chose Bill Ford as its 2020 pick for “Industry Leader of the Year” and pointed out that he was a “unifying force in the fight of a lifetime.” Ford, who is the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, was credited for smoothing talks with two other rivals during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic…
Make no mistake, Ford’s unveiling of the Mustang Mach-E was a momentous move — arguably the most important electric vehicle story of 2019. Why? Because it represents the first indication that a non-Tesla automaker plans not only to produce an EV, but to sell it in volume.
It is time for the quintessential American vehicle to finally go electric, and no, I’m not talking about another Tesla. Ford has announced a $500 million equity investment into electric truck and SUV builder Rivian. Ford hopes to use the injection of cash to get a foot in the door for the development of a line of electric trucks and SUVs built on top of Rivian’s electric vehicle skateboard platform.
Hot on the heels of the announcement that Ford will be releasing new diesel truck models in the US — as a means of lowering official overall fleet fuel economy ratings, and thus keeping in line with regulations — Ford execs at the Detroit Auto Show have revealed that the company will be investing $11 billion into electrified vehicles by 2022.
As part of a broader push to curtail falling sales figures in China, Ford will be launching 15 new electrified models there by 2025, company execs have revealed. Altogether, though, it should be noted that Ford is planning to launch 50 new vehicles in China by 2025 — so the planned electrified models comprise less than a third of the new models.
