Ford Motor Company today launched an aggressive plan to bring pure battery-electric vehicles, next-generation hybrids and a plug-in hybrid to market quickly and more affordably during the next four years.

The plan, unveiled at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, signals the next phase in Ford’s commitment to deliver the best or among the best fuel efficiency with every new vehicle it introduces and to make fuel efficiency solutions affordable for millions of customers.

“Ford is heading in the direction America and our customers want us to go, which is a green, high-tech and global future,” said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. “I think that is where society would like to see the entire industry go, and Ford is going to lead that charge.”

To start, Ford will introduce in North America during the next four years:

o A new battery electric commercial van in 2010
o A new battery electric small car in 2011 to be developed jointly with Magna International
o Next-generation hybrid vehicles, including a plug-in version by 2012

Partners Enable Speed to Market
Ford is partnering with high-tech partners to bring electric-powered vehicles to market quickly and affordably. Today, the company announced a new collaboration with Magna International to bring a new lithium ion battery-powered small car to market in North America in 2011.

The new electric vehicle will have a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge, without using a single drop of gasoline.

“We strongly believe in collaboration because it drives innovation up and keeps costs down,” said Don Walker, co-CEO of Magna International. “Bringing a fully functional electric vehicle quickly to market that meets customer expectations in terms of cost and performance is a great testament to both our companies’ expertise and collaborative efforts.”

Ford already has other collaborations and partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of electrified vehicles. Southern California Edison and the Electric Power Research Institute currently are road testing a fleet of Ford Escape Hybrid Plug-ins. Work with the utility industry partners is focused on understanding customer usage and the interconnectivity of vehicles with the electric grid.

Ford also has entered into a four-way “Eco-Partnership” in China to expand its global expertise with electric-powered vehicles. Ford, Changan Auto Group and the cities of Chongqing, China and Denver, Colo., are exploring ways to develop projects to help further energy security and promote economic and environmental sustainability. Areas of focus could include developing electrified vehicle technologies, green city planning, efficient urban transportation and grid integration.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $10 million grant to Ford’s development of PHEVs. The DOE currently is road testing one of Ford’s Escape Hybrid Plug-ins to support technological innovation related to the electrification of transportation.

In addition, in the UK, Ford is collaborating with Tanfield, the market leader for electric vehicles, to offer battery-electric versions of the Ford Transit and Transit Connect commercial vehicles for fleet customers in the UK and European markets.

Ford’s aggressive new electrification plan represents the next step in the company’s sustainability plan. Unveiled in 2007, the plan includes a commitment to greater vehicle fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions as part of Ford’s longer-term commitment to addressing climate change and energy security.

Near-term elements of Ford’s sustainability plan include improving today’s gasoline engines to make them more fuel efficient with reduced emissions. Recent accomplishments include:

* The Ford Fusion is now America’s most fuel efficient mid-size sedan for both hybrid and conventional gasoline models

* The four-cylinder Ford Fusion S is now certified at 34 mpg highway and 23 mpg in the city, topping the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord

* The new Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrids deliver up to 41 miles per gallon in the city – eight miles per gallon better than the Toyota Camry Hybrid. In addition, the base Fusion with its 4-cylinder engine and six-speed transmission is EPA certified with best-in-class fuel economy of 34 mpg on the highway

* The Ford Focus with its 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and manual transmission delivers 35 mpg on the highway, 5 mpg better than Toyota Corolla’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine and 2 mpg better than Honda Fit’s 1.5-liter 4-cylinder, both also with manual transmissions

* The all-new 2009 Ford F-150 – which is Motor Trend magazine’s Truck of the Year – achieves 3 mpg more than the Toyota Tundra pickup on the highway and 1 mpg better in the city with its 4.6-liter V-8 engine, compared to Toyota’s 4.7-liter V-8. The F-150’s larger 5.4-liter V-8 achieves 2 mpg better on the highway than the facing Tundra engine

* The 2009 Ford Escape with its new 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and six-speed transmission achieves 28 mpg on the highway, the same as Toyota’s RAV4 and 1 mpg better than the Honda CR-V, both with 4-cylinder engines, too

* The Ford Expedition achieves 20 mpg on the highway, beating both of the Toyota Sequoia’s V-8 engines by as much as 3 mpg on the highway

* The Ford Flex is the most fuel-efficient standard seven-passenger vehicle on the market

This year, Ford also will introduce its EcoBoost engines on the Ford Flex crossover and Lincoln MKS sedan.

The direct-injection turbocharged EcoBoost technology allows for fuel economy improvements of up to 20 percent and CO2 reductions of up to 15 percent versus larger displacement engines – while improving performance. On the Flex and the Lincoln MKS, EcoBoost will provide V-8 performance with V-6 engine fuel efficiency.

By 2013, Ford expects annual EcoBoost engine volumes to top 750,000 in North America.

Also this year, Ford is doubling its production and offerings of hybrid vehicles with the new Fusion and Milan hybrids. During the past five years, Ford has sold nearly 100,000 hybrid vehicles, starting with the introduction of the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid, the most fuel efficient SUVs in the world.