Ford outlines vision for future of cars at CES

• Source: Xinhua
• [08:24 January 10 2011]
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However, despite these added features and performance improvements, the Ford Focus Electric and the electric vehicle market as a whole still face many challenges in the United States.

Currently, there are only 1,800 public charging systems in the country, with the majority located in California. With vehicles that have a driving range of approximately 100 miles per charge, many analysts remain skeptical that there will be any significant increase in sales of electric vehicles in the short term.

Although Kuzack expects that electrified vehicles will account for 10 to 15 percent of Ford's volume by 2020, sales for electrified vehicles, including hybrids, have actually fallen in recent years.

According to the most recent sales data from the auto industry, hybrid car sales fell for the third consecutive year in 2010. In a year when overall automobile sales increased 11 percent, hybrid car sales actually fell six percent.

Despite these challenges, Ford executives emphasized their commitment to growing the electric vehicle market. "When it comes to empowering the electric vehicle customer, no one is more committed than Ford," said Mulally.

The new Ford Focus Electric is expected to hit the US consumer market this November.