My siste-in-law is seriously thinking of trading in her Expedition. She like our Escape for the FE, but wants someting a little larger possibly. She really likes the looks of the Edge. And I've heard there were plans to have a Hybrid Edge & Focus in 2008? But can't find any firm info on that.

Should she jump on a good deal on a new 07, or have her wait a few months?

 

the next hybrid for ford is the fusion. I would say the edge is a ways off.

 

The Fusion Hybrid is suppose to arrive in 2008. Within the past couple of months photos of it have appearred on a Mexican website and within hours Ford Motor Company threaten to sue if the photos were not immediately removed. The Fusion is made in Mexico.

 

In all likelyhood the Fusion Hybrid will be officially announced and be shown in just a few weeks at the North American International Auto Show.

Ford is way, way behind where they had planned on being at this point, for a variety of reasons, but the Edge was on the list back in 2005 to get hybridized.

 

Better to get it right (toyota) than wrong (honda)

 

Yea I meant Fusion, not Focus. I know that didn't look right. I can't keep up the the Ford car names.

So in other words Santa won't be delivering any other Hybrids under the tree this year, and maybe not even next?!

 

Ford probably doesn't have the will/resources to develop a hybrid for a different (larger) engine at this point, which larger SUVs would need. Most likely they will have diesels before hybrids.

 

Money concerns are correct. It is rumored that Ford loses money on each Escape Hybrid sale. Toyota lost money on each Prius sale until early in 2006. There is something about paying back the development costs which only Ford Motor Company can provide details on.

 

I'm not sure I get diesel. Wasn't that tried in the 70's? (really before my time, but recall many disel cars being made, VW, BMW, etc) The last time I filled up reg was like $2.60 and disel was like $3.20-3.50! So I'm not about to buy something that's going to cost me more to fill up! I get bio-diseles, for the enviomentalists, but where does one fill-up? But I suppose if say a disel escape was able to get 45-50mpg then it breaks even with a hybrid at the pump. ($2.60/34mpg = $.0764 & $3.40/45mpg = $.0755) And I'm sure Ford would be happy with a say $1000 disel engine vs $5-10k Hybrid technology. Better profits for them.

Oh and I still get kicks out of advertised mpg's! Like on car commercials, this here new ulta sub compact smaller than a bike, and not much safer/faster gets a whopping 30/34mpg! And it only starts at $20k!!! funny funny funny! Shoot, even some hybrid cars don't get the mpg's we do!

Aslo FYI I found some interesting articles on Aol Autos this weekend:
News on Hybrid Vehicles and Diesel Cars & Trucks
The High Price of Hybrid Cars
Hybrids: Save Gas, Lose Money

They may be old news to some, but I found most of the reading, well atleast amusing!

 

Diesels were tried in the 70's. Since then they have become quieter, cleaner and more economical. Therefore, they make sense today. In Europe, the main obstacle to hybrid car sales is the ready availability of diesel cars.

In my locale, diesel is currently about 15% more expensive than gas but this is a historic high and fluctuates with seasons. Diesels typically will get 30 to 40% better mileage in the real world.