Yes, gas prices are insanely low this week, dipping below $2 a gallon in some parts of the U.S. But Ford (and every carmaker, really) is on a quest to de-thirstify its trucks, especially the all-aluminum 2015 F-150. And it turns out, Ford is working to stuff a hybrid drivetrain in its best-selling pickup. Oh, and maybe a diesel as well.
This revelation comes to us from a wide-ranging conversation between Ford folks and The Detroit Free Press this week. The company's product development chief Raj Nair told the paper that Ford is "working very hard" on a hybrid drivetrain for the F-150. He did not reveal any details about the planned hybrid offering, such as whether it would offer a plug-in mode or which gasoline engine would make up half of the powertrain duo.
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As for a diesel? Nair told the Free Press that plummeting gas prices make an oil-burner "a tough go," and the company highlights the affordability of its EcoBoost F-150 compared to the Ram EcoDiesel. The tiniest oil-burner in the Ram lineup gets a damned impressive 28 mpg on the highway, but it's $2850 more expensive than Hemi-powered varieties, and usually more expensive to fill up.. Nair maintains a hybrid F-150 would pay for itself in fuel savings sooner than a diesel. "If we see demand, we've got diesels in the portfolio," Nair said. "We'll react."
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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