Ford is investing an additional $4.5 billion to produce 13 new electric vehicles by 2020, making it the largest electrified vehicle investment over a five-year period in the carmaker's history.
According to Mark Fields, president and CEO of Ford, 40 percent of the global nameplates will have electrified variants by 2020. Also, the company will introduce a new Focus Electric next year, including a DC fast-charge feature that can charge 80 percent of the battery in 30 minutes that can go for an estimated 100-mile drive, which cuts about two hours in charging time compared with the current Focus.
The carmaker will start production of the updated Focus Electric by the end of next year, and the vehicle will come with SmartGauge with EcoGuide LCD Instrument Cluster, Brake Coach and a "fun-to-drive character."
It's also worth mentioning that the company has set its eye on plug-in hybrid systems, which splits the load of driving a vehicle partly on the batteries and partially on the fuel. This move is part of the company's aim to manufacture cleaner and more efficient vehicles.
To stand out from the competition, the company is also concentrating on customer experience, changing how the company develops its products.
"The challenge going forward isn't who provides the most technology in a vehicle but who best organizes that technology in a way that most excites and delights people," Raj Nair, executive VP of product development, says.
Aside from conventional market research, the carmaker is also spending resources on a global social science-based approach, observing how customers interact with vehicles to gain valuable insights.
Meanwhile, Ford is going to bring Mondeo, which is the overseas variant of the Fusion, and C-MAX Energi hybrids to China in 2016 as well.
With these recent developments, it seems that Ford is stepping up its game, going all out to produce efficient vehicles that can potentially appeal to every customer.
