C-Max hybrid versus the Prius and the Ford Escape hybrid
Hybridcarblog.com
For many years now, Ford has done quite a bit of hybrid talking, but Ford’s hybrid results have never matched up to the rhetoric. Even when the Ford Fusion hybrid topped Toyota Camry hybrid fuel economy, the buzz fell short. Not only did the Fusion hybrid cost a good chunk more for this extra fuel economy compared to the Camry hybrid, but real world testing often found little difference in fuel economy between these two hybrid rivals, making the extra costs even harder to swallow.
And while Ford’s next big hybrid move, the C-Max, seems like a great hybrid step forward, the fact that Ford is discontinuing the Escape hybrid is a bit of, I hate to say it, a step backward.
In the future, just as with the Toyota Prius, I can envision a real C-Max family, and based on Toyota’s growing hybrid success, that seems smart. Moreover, like the larger Prius V, which I’ve suggested might shake up the crossover/SUV segment in Rethinking the Crossover, the C-Max might be a worthy option for many of those that would have otherwise considered the Escape hybrid.
But why not build both?
The C-Max hybrid will not satisfy all interested in the Escape hybrid, and Escape hybrid sales could help Ford scale down the costs of its hybrid technologies. Besides, doesn’t hybrid technology eventually have to provide a compelling cost comparison with pure ICE vehicles? Toyota seems to believe so. However, the fact that Ford doesn’t seem to be seeking such scale causes me great pause, especially when Ford is also choosing not to take on the conventionally-sized Prius first.
I mean, if you’re going to start following Toyota’s Prius game plan, why start with the Prius V, rather than the much better selling conventional Prius?
The writing on the wall tells me that Ford isn’t yet ready to embrace a significant uptick in hybrid sales, obviously because the costs cannot be justified, or Ford isn’t ready to fully commit to its new lithium battery technology just yet. Either way that opens another can of worms, but we’ll take that fishing trip some other day.
Nevertheless, the C-Max is a nice hybrid step forward, but it should have been two steps.
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