Ford commits to ‘at least’ five electric vehicles for Australia by end of 2024
Ford Australia has confirmed today that it will have ‘at least’ five EVs on sale by the end of 2024 as part of a US$30 billion global investment to become carbon neutral by 2050.
The announcements comes as Ford confirmed its new E-Transit commercial van – the first battery electric vehicle (BEV) it will offer in Australia – will arrive mid-2022 as part of the brand’s goal of having EVs make up 40 per cent of its total sales by 2030.
E-Transit will join the already-announced Escape PHEV SUV, which has had its original slated 2021 release pushed back to early 2022 due to COVID-related delays.
However, Ford has remained tight-lipped on which other models will fill out the remaining three (or more) EV offerings for Australia by the end of 2024. It also remains unclear whether multiple electrified variants may exist under the same nameplate.
The Mustang Mach-E remains a speculative frontrunner, with the BEV sports-SUV garnering mass interest and a right-hand-drive variant already on offer in a right-hand-drive for other global markets.
Word of an electrified Ford Bronco utility vehicle for the US has also piqued interest that we may see an electrified Ford Ranger in the future, seeing as the Ranger is Ford Australia’s highest-selling model and the brand has forged its interest in electrified commercial vehicles with the E-Transit.
In 2020, Ford’s iconic Focus RS also fell victim to harsher emissions which saw it axed from the brand’s line-up – however speculation has followed since that we may see a reemergence of the hot hatch with a hybridised powertrain.