Ford is taking aim at the long-standing king-of-the-green hybrid, the Toyota Prius.
According to a report by Reuters citing two unnamed sources, Ford is planning to introduce a new hybrid gasoline-electric car sometime in late 2018 to compete directly with the Prius.
The new car could eventually be offered in a variety of body styles much like Toyota does with the Prius C, Prius V and Prius Plug-in models. The yet-to-be named green car will be Ford's first "dedicated" hybrid platform; a vehicle designed to be marketed solely as a hybrid, rather than a variation of an existing gasoline model, such as the company's current Fusion and Focus hybrids.
There would also be different versions of the car's gasoline-electric powertrain, including a more expensive (though likely more efficient) plug-in model that can be recharged from an electrical outlet.
Ford plans to build the new hybrid at its Wayne assembly plant in southeastern Michigan, at an annual rate of about 120,000, according to the sources.
Expected to arrive as a 2019 model, the car - internally known as "C240" - is to be built on Ford's new C2 global compact architecture, which also will underpin the next-generation Focus and Escape.
This is not the first time Ford has attempted to take on the Prius. Its C-Max hybrid was originally envisioned as a Prius-beater, but sales never took off the way Ford had hoped.
