Ford adds plug-in hybrids in Europe in electrification push

AMSTERDAM -- Ford of Europe will expand its electrified lineup in Europe with plug-in hybrid versions of its new Kuga, Explorer and Tourneo Custom models.

The new-generation Kuga compact SUV will be offered with a plug-in version along with full hybrid, mild hybrid, gasoline and diesel versions, Ford said on Tuesday at an event here.

Ford said it will import the U.S.-built Explorer seven-seat large SUV into Europe but it will be sold only with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain which will not be available in the U.S.

The Explorer will be the flagship of Ford's European SUV range, the company's Europe head of sales and marketing, Roelant de Waard, said at the event.

The SUV will not have a right-hand-drive version, meaning it will not be sold in the UK, Ford’s biggest European market.

The latest Explorer was unveiled in January in Detroit.

The Explorer plug-in hybrid will cost around 70,000 euros in Europe, a company source said. Ford did not release pricing. A key competitor will be an upcoming plug-in hybrid version of the Volkswagen Touareg.

The plug-in Kuga and Explorer will go on sale late this year in Europe, along with a plug-in hybrid Tourneo Custom eight-seat passenger minivan.

The Kuga plug-in hybrid will have a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine supplemented by an electric motor to produce 222hp.  Its electric-only range will be more than 50 km (31 miles), Ford said. CO2 emissions when the electric mode is used will be as low as 29 grams per km, the automaker said.

The Kuga is called the Escape in the U.S.

The Explorer plug-in hybrid will have a 3.0-liter, V-6 gasoline engine and electric motor for a combined 444 hp. Its electric only range will be 40 km. CO2 emissions will be 78g/km, Ford said.

The plug-in hybrid versions of the Tourneo Custom will have a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine combined with an electric motor mated to a 13.6 kWh lithium ion battery pack with the ability to travel 50 km on electric power alone. Unlike the Kuga or Explorer plug-in hybrids, the Tourneo Custom uses a series rather than parallel hybrid, meaning the gasoline engine is only there to charge the battery.

The related Transit Custom light commercial van will also have the same drivetrain as the Tourneo Custom passenger van.

Ford also said it will sell mild-hybrid versions of the Fiesta small car and Focus compact car. Both cars will pair a three-cylinder 1.0 liter EcoBoost gasoline engine with a 48-volt belt-driven integrated starter/generator and will go on sale in 2020.

A mild-hybrid version of the new Kuga with a 2.0-liter diesel engine will join the plug-in Kuga and the rest of the Kuga range later this year.

A full-electric version of the Transit large van will be launched in 2021, Ford said, making it the second all-electric vehicle to be announced by the company for its European region.

The first full EV will be an SUV, likely to be named Mach E, which will go on sale next year.

Ford of Europe Chairman Steven Armstrong said on Tuesday that the Mustang-inspired SUV will have a 600-km range under the EU's WLTP test cycle.

Ford sold a full-electric version of its previous Focus, but dropped it because of slow sales.

Kuga full hybrid

The Kuga’s full hybrid version will have a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline and an electric motor fed by a lithium ion battery. Its CO2 emissions will be 132 g/km under Europe’s new WLTP cycle, Ford said. Full hybrids use a more sophisticated drivetrain and bigger batteries than a mild-hybrid but don’t plug into an electricity supply to recharge.

The Kuga Hybrid will compete with the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V hybrids when it goes on sale spring 2020.

Ford sells full hybrid versions of its Mondeo sedan and station wagon.

The moves will give Ford “one of the most encompassing line-ups of electrified options for European customers of any manufacturer,” Ford said in a statement.

"The models introduced today are just the start of our plans to develop a comprehensive line-up of smart vehicles for a smart world," said incoming Ford of Europe President Stuart Rowley.

Automakers such as Ford are ramping up their launch of electrified vehicles as they scramble to lower CO2 ahead of new average fleet emissions targets arriving in 2020/21. Under a credit system favoring plug-in vehicles, any car emitting less than 50g/km of CO2 will count as two vehicles in 2020, 1.67 vehicles in 2021, 1.33 in 2022 and one by 2023.

Ford has said it expects to meet its specific targets, which it said were slightly higher than the fleet average 95g/km, without going into more detail.

The targets will spur sales of plug-in electric vehicles, analyst firm LMC automotive predicts. In 2018 Europe bought just under 190,000 electric cars and nearly 155,000 plug-in hybrids, its data shows. This year Europe will buy 300,000 electric cars and 250,000 plug-in hybrids LMC predicts, rising to a combined total of over one million in 2020.