New Ford's Long Range Electric Car Could Be Called The 'Model E'
A year ago, Ford said it would set aside $4.5 billion to include 13 hybrid and electric cars by 2020, a move that would help the company meet emissions regs. Then last week, Ford admitted “no immediate plans” to go toe-to-toe with Tesla.
Now, another report from Autonews quotes CEO Mark Fields, saying the blue oval will definitely get into the long-range EV game.
Ford informed first-quarter earnings on Thursday, and they were strong.
On a conference call with analysts after the numbers hit, CEO Mark Fields took questions, and at the very end, was asked if Ford is working on its own 200-mile-per-charge electric vehicle to take on the Tesla Model 3 and the Chevy Bolt.
According to an Automotive News report, the affordable 200-mile-range Ford EV could be known as the "Model E." This is more than the wild assumption; Ford has a pending trademark on the moniker.
While Fields declined to give an on-sale date for the long-range EV, it is reportedly going to go into production at a new plant in Mexico in 2019.
Fields moved to the question a bit in terms of specifics and the timetable, but he didn't deny that Ford was working on something.
"Absolutely," he said. "We want to be either among the leaders or in a leadership position."
However, Ford hasn't yet made any product declarations on this front. And Fields didn't go beyond laying out Ford's vision for an electrified future.
He noted that Ford is spending $4.5 billion in electrifying its vehicle lineup, with the goal of having "40% of our nameplates" be electric around the world.
"We're developing for that," he said.
Tesla Motors discloses the new lower-priced Model 3 sedan at the Tesla Motors design studio in California.
Automotive News says this is the first time Ford has even implied that it might participate in Tesla’s offerings and Chevrolet’s Bolt, though the news site did declare that Fields provided no indication of timing. Ford has definitely been cagey about the subject in the past.