Ford will be expanding their electrified vehicle lineup in the Chinese market, after the local authorities pressed automakers to offer more alternative fuel cars in a bid to cut air pollution.
Leading the pack will be the Mondeo (Fusion) Energi, a plug-in hybrid version of the family car that debuts at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show, subsequent to a local unveil on April 8.
Combining a gas engine with a small electric motor and battery power, it will offer a zero-emission range of up to 50 km (31 miles), and it will be assembled locally by the Changan Ford joint venture, which already makes the China-only Mondeo Hybrid, starting early next year.
Pushing the brand’s ambitions furthermore will be a new fully electric small SUV. This is expected to deliver an estimated driving range of more than 450 km (280 miles), in between charges, and it will be sold in China, Europe, and North America as well.
The as-of-yet unnamed vehicle will launch within five years and will be followed by a broad range of EVs by 2025, all of which are part of Ford’s plan to sell 70 percent of their cars with electrified powertrains in the People’s Republic, by mid-2020s.
Ford also plans to begin local production of electrified powertrains by the end of the decade.
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