Zoomi Life

Ford and Chrysler have both announced that they will be showing off their electric vehicle plans at the upcoming NAIAS Detroit Auto Show. The show begins (publicly) on January 17th.

Ford has been pretty quiet about their electric vehicle plans for the near future, unlike the other two members of the Big 3. The Ford Transit (The European Transit Select van) as an electric is one of the less-publicized EVs they’ve been working on while hybrid versions of various Ford vehicles have been on the market for some time.

Ford’s biggest plans, about which they’ve been playing close to the vest, likely involve the Ford Focus as an electric car. Officially, Ford has only announced that an “electric sedan will be available as early as 2011” and most believe that this will be based on the European version of the Ford Focus (called the Global Focus), which is a lot more technically advanced than the dumbed-down American sales version.

Chrysler, meanwhile, has been anything but closed-mouthed about their EV plans. The big showcase for the Detroit show will be their Lotus-inspired electric sports car. They will also be showing the latest editions of their Town & Country hybrid van and Jeep Wrangler models.

The big unveiling of the Dodge electric sports car is rumored to be a 4-door and/or more Dodge-oriented styling version of the car.

One of Chrysler’s EVs (or hybrids) will be in production in 2010, but they haven’t announced which one yet. I suspect that the reaction and press from the auto show will be a big decision-maker for Chrysler in that regard.

Of the Big 3, Ford is the only one that didn’t take the handout (I mean “bailout”) from Bush & Co last month.   For me, this means that I’m watching Ford’s steps over the next few weeks to see how they plan to recoup and move forward. I honestly expect much less from Chrysler and GM since they have little incentive to really make change to their current offerings. No news from Chevy on whether the Volt will continue as-is or see major changes before its release.

All three of the big American boys will be competing at the Detroit Auto Show with other EV competition, such as BYD. Others will be conspicuously absent, including Toyota, who’s announced they’re cutting back in light of sluggish sales.

Sources: 3