Ford Delays Hybrid Escape Launch Yet Again

[hatrack]

All I have is the headline at Wards Auto (it's a subscription service), but they're reporting that fleet sales, which were supposed to begin this fall will be delayed nearly another year. Originally retail sales were to come the year after fleet sales began.

Let's hear it for even more innovative corporate leadership from Detroit. I'll join the cheering chorus just as soon as I can get my finger out of my throat.

Wards

[alexwcovington]

1. Seriously, what is the deal with the automakers?

People are gonna drive them off lots like crazy! Why should they be concerned with how much gas it does or doesn't burn?!

[mddemo]

2. hummer

ill wait until i can get my hummer as a hybrid before ill buy a hybrid, it gets crap mileage, but i love it.

[hatrack]

3. Update - Confirmed By CNN

Ford Delays Escape Hybrid Debut Again
All of Detroit's Big 3 automakers now say that hybrid vehicles will be on the market in 2004

CNN - Sep 23, 2003

"Ford is the second Detroit automaker to delay plans for a high-mileage, high-technology hybrid truck. DaimlerChrysler (DCXZ) said last year it was canceling plans for a hybrid version of its Dodge Durango SUV. Ford's Escape and hybrid pickups from DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit and General Motors Corp. (GM) are now all promised for 2004.

Ford had said it would sell an unspecified number of hybrid Escapes to business fleets this year as a test program and sell them to retail buyers next year. But Ford spokeswoman Angela Coletti said Monday that the automaker was delaying sales to fleets and that hybrid Escapes would now go on sale in 'late summer' of 2004.

EDIT

'External fleet testing would have given us the same information that we're collecting internally,' Coletti told Reut4ers. 'It's a more efficient use of our resources to conduct the same testing internally.'"

EDIT

http://www.evworld.com/databases/shownews.cfm?pageid=news230903-01

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

4. American Auto Makers are irrelevant

Toyota, VW, BMW, Honda will be the only car manufactures in 10 years.
Delaying hybrids is just one more nail in the coffin of the US
automakers. Good riddence

[mastein]

5. Thanks

Sorry to hear this sad news, and thanks for the update, but I have to believe that Detroit has it in their interests to get these things developed for real, especially now that they have seen the demand for the vehicles is strong.