Ford Eyes Special Electric Cars For Chinese Market

Ford is in talks to develop a new line of electric vehicles especially for the Chinese market, according to a new report by the BBC.

The new cars would be the product of a joint venture with Anhui Zotye, an electric car manufacturer that specializes in creating small, no-emissions vehicles.

"Electric vehicles will be a big part of the future in China and Ford wants to lead in delivering great solutions to customers," Peter Fleet, vice president and president for Ford Asia Pacific, told to BBC.

Ford forecasts its sales of electric cars in China to reach 4 million by the year 2025. The Asian giant already has the highest number of electric vehicles on the roads of any another country.

Officials in Beijing are already working on new laws that would require eight percent of all cars sold in 2018 to be electric. By 2020, that minimum would rise to 12 percent.

"This presents us with an exciting opportunity to leverage each other's strengths in achieving a win-win situation for both parties' growth in the fast-evolving Chinese electric vehicle market," Jin Zheyong, the head of Anhui Zotye, told BBC.

Ford Motor Co. announced an ambitious electrification strategy for China earlier this year. The global Mondeo sedan will see the Mondeo Energy plug-in hybrid launched there early next year, followed by an all-electric small SUV a few years later that will go about 280 miles on one charge.

Ford is taking a more tepid approach to the U.S. market with a small number of electric models for sale. Ford CEO Mark Fields has also asked President Donald Trump to take a more conservative approach to federal fuel economy and emissions guidelines than enacted by the Obama administration shortly before leaving office.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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