Performance vehicles—electric and gasoline—and more SUVs and crossovers are key for Ford's next few years, executives told investors Tuesday.
Executive Vice President and President for Global Markets Jim Farley said Ford will streamline its small car lineup worldwide to help make way for electrified performance vehicles. Fewer configurations on existing passenger cars, and a smaller emphasis on those models would be apparent as soon as this year, he said. The push for more performance and electrification will include the recently announced battery electric crossover that could be called "Mach 1," the coming Mustang Hybrid, and others.
"In North America, we're going to leverage our strengths in trucks and SUVs, and shrink our passenger car lineup. We'll focus our car portfolio on higher-revenue, higher-margin car segments," Farley said Tuesday during a presentation for Deutsche Bank.
Farley said that the performance battery electric crossover—tentatively dubbed "Mach 1"—will have a range of more than 300 miles and is due by 2020.
"We have a lot of new products coming in the next two years," he said, including 25 new-vehicle launches and a refresh of more than one-third of the Ford portfolio before the end of the decade. Seven battery electric vehicles will go on sale in North America by 2022, he added.
The performance lineup likely will grow. In addition to the 2019 Ford Edge ST that was revealed at the 2018 Detroit auto show, Farley pointed to the EcoSport ST line in Europe as proof of the growing performance marque. A spokesman from Ford didn't comment on the Edge ST line's future in North America.
"As we rationalize the (European) car lineup we're shifting to utilities, including small-size urban—but performance utilities," Farley said.
Farley told investors that SUVs and trucks like the Ranger and upcoming Bronco didn't constitute niche products for Ford; the automaker will consider those to be its bread-and-butter for keeping the automaker profitable. Farley said the Raptor name would expand, but didn't confirm when a Ranger Raptor would arrive.
While Ford will focus on SUVs and trucks and shrink its passenger car business—potentially shipping production of some models to other markets such as China, Lincoln will "orient" itself more on SUVs and crossovers.
Farley didn't specify when the new Mustang Hybrid will go on sale, but said that the muscle car will figure heavily into the automaker's future plans for electrification. Reports have indicated that a Mustang Hybrid may arrive as soon as 2020.
