Ford says 25% of Its Vehicles Could Be EVs or Hybrids by 2020

In just 10 years, as much as a quarter of the vehicles that Ford produces could be all-electric or hybrid vehicles, according to the automaker.

As U.S. laws for the average fleet fuel economy take hold, Ford plans to respond by introducing new electric and hybrid models that will constitute at least 10% of the cars it sells and hopefully as much as 25% by 2020, Nancy Gioia, Ford’s director of global electrification, told BusinessWeek.

Hybrid models such as the award-winning Fusion Hybrid and Escape Hybrid will continue to dominate the mix, but Ford also showed off the all-electric Transit Connect and plans to build an electric Focus.

Oddly enough, the biggest competitor to Ford’s hybrid and electric vehicles will simply be improvements to traditional internal-combustion engines, Gioia said. Ford’s direct-injection engines have shown fuel economy improvements of up to 20%.

Gioia also cited the most familiar obstacles to widespread vehicle electrification: plug-in infrastructure, range anxiety and battery cost.

Ford Says Electric, Hybrid Models May Be 25% of Lineup by 2020 (BusinessWeek)

Toyota Attempts to Bolster Sales With New Incentives

In the wake of its well-publicized recalls and subsequent sales drop, Toyota has rolled out new incentives for March.

The most notable offer is 0% APR financing for up to 60 months on the 2010 Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Tundra and Yaris. Not coincidentally, most of these vehicles were the ones wrapped up in the sudden acceleration recall.

The automaker will also offer low lease rates on all of the same models. Rather than the Yaris, though, these new lease rates will extend to the Prius and Venza. Offers will vary by region, but examples given by Toyota include a Corolla lease for $179 a month and a Camry lease for $199 a month.

Finally, Toyota will extend a complimentary two-year premium maintenance program to any customer who buys or leases a new vehicle and provides proof of already owning a Toyota, Lexus or Scion.

The program will run through April 5 and be accompanied by a national marketing campaign.

Lexus CT 200h Compact Hybrid Coming to America

We’re not quite sure we believe it, but Lexus is bringing its all-new compact hybrid hatchback, the CT 200h, to the New York auto show in April, and it will go on sale in the U.S. Tentatively, the company is projecting an early 2011 timeframe for sales to start. 
 
We’ll have a full report on the CT 200h later today. For now, we want to hear if you think this sporty, small, luxury hybrid will sell well in the U.S. The Lexus HS 250h, the brand’s first dedicated hybrid, isn’t selling particularly well; just 712 were sold in February. The brand’s new full-size SUV, the GX, sold twice as well, at 1,473 units.

Report: Some Fixed Toyotas Still Have Acceleration Problems

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that at least seven complaints have been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by owners of recalled Toyota vehicles that were repaired. These few complaints say that the owners are still experiencing unintended acceleration.

These complaints have not been verified by NHTSA and may not have been followed up on in any way.

One of the complaints highlighted by the newspaper was on a 2010 Toyota Camry that got brake override software added. The car accelerated into a snowbank.

With over a million vehicles now fixed under the recalls, it’ll be interesting to see how the government and Toyota follow up with complaints like these.

Toyota's fix is a bust, owners claim (Los Angeles Times)

Recall Alert: 418,865 Nissan, Infiniti SUVs, Trucks

Nissan has issued a voluntary recall for two different issues. One recall involves 178,916 vehicles in the U.S. with potentially faulty brake-pedal pins that can become partially disengaged, leading to a loss of braking power. The other recall involves 418,865 vehicles in the U.S. with potentially faulty fuel gauges that at high speeds can show there is more fuel in the tank than there actually is, which can lead to drivers running out of gas. Some vehicles are included in both recalls.

The models affected in the brake recall include:

• 2008-2010 model year Nissan Titan, Armada, Quest and Infiniti QX56

Models affected in the fuel gauge recall include:

• 2005-2008 model year Nissan Titan, Armada and Infiniti QX56
• Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra models built between January and March 2006 and between October 2007 and January 2008.

You can find when your vehicle was produced on a label affixed to the driver’s side doorjamb.

Nissan says no crashes or injuries have been reported due to the recalled parts and that notifications for both will be mailed out this month. Dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace parts when necessary. Nissan also recommends owners of the vehicles in the fuel gauge recall to keep their gas tanks well fueled until the repairs are made.

Customers with questions should contact Nissan at 800-647-7261.

Only Hundreds of New Saabs Left in US

Now that Saab has avoided a death sentence with its rescue by Dutch automaker Spyker, the company would like to make a return to the U.S. market. Currently, it has only 500 vehicles in showrooms across the nation, according to the company’s CEO. However, in Cars.com’s inventory we’re showing 610 new Saabs in the U.S., with 539 of them 2009 model years.

After sales fell from 94,000 to just 39,000 last year, Saab took 20,000 units out of its inventory, and the U.S. made up a good chunk of that. Now the automaker hopes to ramp up to 5,000 vehicles as quickly as possible. This will mostly be made up of the 9-3 compact executive car. The first units should start shipping in a couple of weeks, a Saab spokesman said.

Saab will not have much of a marketing budget, so winning customers could prove difficult, especially as it takes over its dealerships from GM. It has hinted that it will reach out to past customers through the Internet.

Saab will produce between 50,000 and 60,000 units worldwide this year with the goal of building to 120,000 units by 2012, when the new 9-3 is scheduled for production. It sounds like a long road back.

Saab: Just 500 Cars Left for Sale in U.S. (Associated Press)

Car Software Will Only Increase

Because of the Toyota recalls and the possibility of a problem with the software controlling the engine throttle, a spotlight has fallen on the ever-increasing amount of software in automobiles. An IEEE Spectrum article offers this comparison: The F-22 Raptor uses about 1.7 million lines of software code; the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will use 5.7 million lines of code; the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will require 6.5 million lines of code.

A new premium-class car likely contains close to 100 million lines of software code, and experts say this will reach between 200 million and 300 million lines in the near future.

The competing demands placed on passenger cars — from saving energy to improving safety to delivering in-vehicle entertainment — have necessitated enormous leaps forward in on-board software.

This has contributed to cost. In the late 1970s, the cost of electronics as a percent of each vehicle was around 5%, but by 2005 it had risen to 15%. As more hybrids and plug-in vehicles come to the market, this will increase. About 45% of the cost of a typical hybrid is in the electronics. In the future, these cost numbers should rise to 50% for regular vehicles and 80% for hybrids. IBM estimates that 50% of car warranty costs are directly tied to electronic systems and the software it takes to run them.

Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover

Any car review that contains the words “more than $100,000” in the opening sentence is going to immediately reduce the number of people who will read on thinking they might actually buy this vehicle. Still, Cars.com reviewer David Thomas says that if you’ve got that kind of cash, the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover might not be the worst place to start your new-car search.

2010 Land Rover Range Rover Review

Today's News From the Cars.com Family

A reader wants to know if the 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid has been recalled, and Ask.cars.com has the answer. Then, PickupTrucks.com looks behind the payload numbers for the 2011 Ford Super Duty. Finally, MotherProof.com has a review of the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE, a sophisticated all-wheel-drive SUV that works for both rough terrain and date night with the husband.

Has the 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid Been Recalled? (Ask.cars.com)
Behind the 2011 Ford Super Duty Payload Numbers (PickupTrucks.com)
2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE (MotherProof.com)

Geneva Motor Show Wrap-Up

There is a lot of glitz and glamour surrounding the Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland this week, with dozens of new cars on display. However, not many will ever go on sale in the U.S. But for those global cars making their way to U.S. shores, we deliver this recap. Many of the models have an official North American release date, so you can plan out any potential purchases.
 
The 2011 Porsche Cayenne will go on sale in July, while the 2011 Volvo S60 hits dealerships in late 2010. Nissan’s compact Juke crossover has a fall 2010 release date, and the Mini Cooper Countryman — an SUV version of the existing Cooper and Clubman — is expected to go on sale in early 2011. Other expected production cars include the new Kia Sportage, which we expect more information on shortly.
 
There are also concepts to keep an eye on that could easily make it to production. The Mercedes-Benz F800 Style concept is a close indicator of what form the next CLS could take, and the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid supercar concept could succeed the discontinued Carrera GT supercar. 

For more information on these upcoming models, click on each model below.