Ford triples capacity for electric vehicles

Ford has announced that it is tripling its production capacity for electric cars in the United States in preparation for three new models. In 2012 Ford will be bringing the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid to the US. There will also be a third, still unannounced, hybrid coming for 2012. 

Ford currently sells about 35,000 electric vehicles a year and with the help of these new models, it hopes to increase sales to over 100,000 electric cars a year by 2013.

The production of the new models will add 220 jobs to Ford plants in Michigan. The new jobs allow for more production to be brought in-house. Battery packs that had been made in Mexico will now be made in Michigan, and electric transaxles, which had been made in Japan, will also be made in-house. 

“Customers have come to expect fuel efficiency with every new vehicle Ford delivers today, and now we are further differentiating our electrified vehicle lineup with something else people truly value – choice,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s group vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service. 

The Ford C-MAX will be produced alongside the Focus at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI. The C-MAX has been on sale in Europe since 2010 but 2012 will be the first time it has been sold in the US.