Ford - No Plans For Large SUV, Truck Hybrids

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"Ford proudly proclaimed that his company was at the forefront of the hybrid movement and called it "the first automaker to provide customers a unique proposition — no compromises." But Ford officials say it will be a stretch to combine roaring horsepower with environmental stewardship when it comes to building hybrids of its Louisville-built trucks.

Although the company plans hybrid forms of the Escape, Mercury Mariner SUV and an as-yet-unnamed midsize sedan, its has no plans to launch hybrid F-150 pickups or Louisville-built Explorer SUVs. F-Series trucks and Explorers made up roughly one-third of Ford's sales during the first three months of the year.

Jim Padilla, executive vice president of Ford Motor Co., said hybrids and large vehicles are a poor match. "When you have a big unit, like an F-150 or an Explorer, the amount of power you need to get the car off the line is huge, so the batteries would need to be huge. ... It's cost-prohibitive at this point," Padilla said.

Ford's competitors disagree. General Motors plans to launch hybrid full-size pickups and large SUVs by 2007. Toyota, the world leader in hybrid sales, plans a hybrid pickup as soon as 2006 when it opens its new truck plant in San Antonio. Toyota also plans to launch a hybrid version of its Highlander and Lexus 400h crossover vehicles this year."

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http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=communique&newsid=5481

People love their SUVs and most won't give them up, but I think a lot of them would buy a hybrid if it were available. Kudos to GM and Toyota.