Ford Marks Assembly of Its 100,000th Hybrid SUV
By John O'Dell March 10, 2009
Ford Motor Co. said today that the 100,000th hybrid SUV has rolled off of the line at its Kansas City assembly plant. The milestone was reached five years after the Ford Escape (right)
and Mercury Mariner hybrids were introduced.
"As we celebrate our 100,000th hybrid, America's interest in hybrid vehicles keeps growing, as does Ford's commitment to advanced powertrain technologies that deliver greater fuel economy, lower emissions and help enhance our country's energy security," Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford said in a statement.
As we recently reported, the Escape hybrid posted 1,172 sales during February, a 55.6 percent increase from January. Sales were down 22 percent from February '08, but in this market, with new vehicle sales as a whole down 41 percent, even that is something to brag about.
The next zero-to-100,000 celebration in Ford's green car future will be for the new 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrid sedans, which Ford is aggressively advertising as "America's most fuel-efficient midsize sedans at 41 mpg city driving."
As our sister blog, Edmunds AutoObserver, reports, Ford has sold more hybrids than any of its domestic rivals, but still trails Honda and Toyota.
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