Ford is happy to leave the hybrid off-roader market to the Toyota Prado for the foreseeable future, ruling out plans to introduce an Everest plug-in hybrid (PHEV) alongside the Ranger PHEV.
Speaking to Torquecafe at the recent launch of the new Everest Tremor, Ford Australia marketing chief Ambrose Henderson said adding the PHEV powertrain to the SUV isn’t as simple as it would appear, based on its similarities with the Ranger. Instead, he admitted that there are packaging problems and potential performance restrictions that impact the likely success of a possible Everest PHEV.
“ Yeah, so there’s a lot of considerations that go into future power packs and cycle plan plans, as you can imagine,” Henderson said. “One of them’s about who’s taking the program globally, the plant it’s coming from, what the business case looks like ultimately.
“But for us as an Australian market and what we look for and what we’re pushing the globe for is products that deliver for the customer’s needs. And as we talked about when we were together, we will not compromise on the key things that our customers are seeking. Some others have gone and started doing some things in this space and they’ve taken significant compromises to the package of the car. And when we look at our car and we look at the customer research and what we need to deliver. We don’t think that that delivers for Australian customers where they need the space in the car, they need the power and torque. They want the full 4×4 and they wanna be able to tow, and right now that package and the technology that’s available doesn’t support that.”
This revelation is surprising, as Ford has been heavily promoting the practical benefits of its Ranger PHEV, specifically its undiminished payload compared to its rivals. When pressed for the specific challenges around a would-be Everest PHEV, Henderson indicated a major factor was packaging, with the Everest featuring not only different body work at the rear but also an entirely different suspension set-up compared to the Ranger.
“So, they are two very different products, two very different platforms,” Henderson said. “One has a big tray at the back, one doesn’t. So, that’s one part of it. The other part of it though is the use case for the customer. We have a different customer that’s buying those two products and we are looking to match that with the best powertrain options that we have available for those customers.”
However, despite these seemingly significant obstacles, Henderson wouldn’t categorically rule out Ford Australia ever offering an Everest PHEV.
“ No, not, not, not saying that at all,” he said. “We’re completely open to looking at all technologies, and particularly looking at these technologies as they evolve over time and how the technology gets better. What I’m saying is right now, we believe we have the right powertrain set up for Everest to deliver what Australian customers want based on their needs today.”
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