Ford is reportedly in the process of bringing about a major upheaval in the automotive & transportation industry, the major players of which have been making efforts for a greener planet. As per sources, the company will be introducing seven electric vehicles (EVs) in the next few years, one amongst which will be a small SUV. Ford has also announced that the e-SUV will be released in North America, Europe and Asia. There is however, uncertainty whether it will be released in India.Though Ford has not yet disclosed the details of the e-SUV, it is being speculated by automotive and transportation industry experts that it will be built to rival Tesla’s Model Y, an electric crossover to be introduced in 2019. It is also being surmised that Ford wants this new e-SUV to be a volume seller than a luxury vehicle.
According to a survey conducted in the US, the total number of EVs sold in 2017 was just below 200,000. Considering that 17 million new cars were sold in the US in 2017, it is evident that electric vehicles still have a long way to go but key players in the automotive and transportation industry as well as OEMs are tapping into the electric vehicle market segment not only because these vehicles are ecofriendly but also because despite being steeply priced, electric vehicle ownership is proving to be less costly than the conventional fueled counterparts.
Ford has reportedly tried to capture the Chinese EV market which is incidentally the largest EV market in the world, by signing an agreement with Zotye Auto. It is being reported that Ford may do the same in India if it signs an EV manufacturing deal with Mahindra, post which Ford will be able to use Mahindra’s manufacturing infrastructure while Mahindra will save on R&D which will enable Ford to price its e-SUVs accurately in the Indian market.
Reports state that if the automotive & transportation industry witnesses the Mahindra-Ford deal, Ford may base its small E-SUV on the Ford EcoSport.