DEARBORN, Mich., March 8 (UPI) -- Ford Motor Co. is banking on its 2003 Ford Escape Hybrid sport-utility vehicle eventually becoming a mass-market success.
The restructuring No. 2 automaker is thinking "green" and hopes to sell thousands of gasoline-electric powered Escape Hybrids that can get up to 40 mpg in city driving.
"We are encouraged with the results of this customer survey showing strong potential for hybrid electric vehicles," Prabhakar Patil, chief engineer of the Ford Escape Hybrid program, said this week.
Patil said Ford does not see hybrids as strictly a niche market.
"Our own customer research shows similar enthusiasm especially for a hybrid SUV," he said. "When Ford's Escape Hybrid SUV is introduced in 2003 it will deliver nearly 40 mpg fuel economy in a no-compromise vehicle with the same driving performance and features that have made the Escape a top-seller."
While the superfuel-efficient gas-electric powertrain would come at a premium, a recent survey by J.D. Power and Associates found 30 percent of new vehicle buyers would definitely consider purchasing a gas-electric hybrid.
Toyota has sold more than 75,000 of its $20,000 Corolla-sized, Prius gas-electric powered sedans in Japan and the United States and this year boosted exports by 40 percent. Ford and Honda have discussed joint development of a new electric-gasoline hybrid for the North American market.
Honda is introducing a five-passenger Civic hybrid this spring and continues to sell the super-ultra-low emission, two-seat Insight coupe.
DaimlerChrysler Corp. is working on a hybrid version of its Jeep Liberty, called the Liberty HEV.
The Wall Street Journal said the Escape Hybrid would have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of about $25,000, compared to $18,775 for a gasoline-powered base XLS model of the car-based Escape. The popular Ford sport-ute is about the size of Jeep Liberty, Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV and gets about 23 mpg in city driving and 27 mpg highway.
