Is it real this time?
Several years ago I had such hopes for Ford, particularly its couple hundred thousand hybrid cars per year by 2010 plans, including unique and new vehicles, such as the Reflex hybrid pictured here.
Instead, Ford sold 30,000 hybrids last year. Toyota sold 500,000.
Fortunately, that Ford is gone. Yesterday's Ford died when it went into bankruptcy, along with the rest of the Big 3.
Ohhh, that's right. Ford didn't go bankrupt. Instead, a short time before the proverbially crap hit the fan, man, ex-CEO Bill Ford hired Boeing's Alan Mulally to replace him. Almost instantly, Mulally made huge changes, particularly financial moves, saving Ford from bankruptcy and ushering in a new era of efficiency derived from Mulally's kaizen-styled management.
Ironically, however, that kaizen hasn't led to many new hybrids at Ford, unlike one-time kaizen master, Toyota; and that hybrid difference won't change until 2012, when Ford opens a new battery lab and begins the launch of several new hybrid and electric vehicles.
But what does that really mean? Doubling production to 60,000 hybrids per year?
Nope. At the Geneva Motor Show, Ford fired a shot off Toyota's industry-ramming hybrid bow. Within 8 years, Ford will be 25 percent hybrid, putting Ford on almost the same hybrid production trajectory as Toyota.
OK. Ford actually said 10 - 25 percent hybrid by 2018, so 25 percent might just be an overly positive, forward statement. Besides, such an increase in hybrid production in such a short amount of time seems almost incomprehensible, especially from Ford, right?
But we're talking about new Ford here, and if Ford is running the numbers on what it would take - supplies, manufacturing capabilities, etc. - to achieve a 25 percent hybrid share by 2018, then they know - at least roughly - the different kinds of numbers needed to achieve a 25 percent hybrid share in the real world. It's tangible. Moreover, when it has come to numbers thus far, Alan Mulally is no joke.
Still, 25 percent hybrid by 2018?
I'm not sure Alan Mulally is that much of a miracle worker, but if Ford achieves that goal, Ford's new mantra should be Fordaizen.
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