Ford puts popular vehicles to work

The Ford brand's strategy when it comes to electrification is simple: Stick with what people know. Executives believe convincing the buying public to switch to battery-powered vehicles will be easier if those vehicles are attached to familiar names with cool features, such as the Mustang Mach-E or the upcoming E-Transit and F-150 Lightning.

Ford plans an electric version of the Explorer as well as hybrid models for the Mustang, Ranger and Bronco over the next five years.

Mustang: Ford's iconic pony car will be reengineered for the 2023 model year. The S650 platform isn't expected to change much from the current S550 Mustang, but the car could get an all-wheel-drive system. The seventh- generation Mustang, which will continue to be built in Flat Rock, Mich., is expected to have an eight-year life cycle. Ford will add a hybrid variant in 2025.

GT: The half-million-dollar supercar will take one last victory lap before production ends sometime next year. As Ford and supplier Multimatic wrap up the 1,350 GTs promised to a select group of customers, expect a few final special editions, such as the Heritage Edition introduced this month.

EcoSport: Ford's entry-level vehicle will be upstaged this year by the Maverick compact pickup, which will have a starting price of $21,490, including shipping, making it $150 less expensive than the base EcoSport. How that will affect Ford's subcompact crossover, which hasn't caught on in the U.S. as in other parts of the world, remains to be seen. For now, Ford plans a next-generation EcoSport out of India that would debut in the U.S. in 2024.

Mustang Mach-E: The new electric crossover is quickly becoming a key pillar in Ford's lineup. The company has sold 15,829 in the U.S. this year through July and says that 70 percent of buyers are from outside the Ford brand. It's helping establish Ford as a legitimate player in the electric vehicle space while taking precious market share from Tesla. GT and GT Performance Edition variants just launched, starting at $61,000 and $66,000, with shipping. Ford said the Mach-E GT delivers 480 hp and 600 pound-feet of torque with an estimated 0-to-60-mph time of 3.8 seconds. The GT Performance Edition is even more powerful, boasting 634 pound-feet of torque and a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds. Ford plans to move the Mach-E to its Oakville Assembly Plant in Ontario in 2026, when it will be redesigned on a new platform.

Escape: After a delay following battery fires in Europe, Ford finally launched the Escape plug-in hybrid this year. That could help slow the slide in overall Escape sales, which have fallen 9.5 percent in the U.S. this year through July amid the global chip shortage. The compact crossover is due for a freshening late next year and could be redesigned in late 2025.

Bronco Sport: The Bronco's smaller sibling is performing well in showrooms. It's helping to build the budding Bronco subbrand as well as allowing Ford to claw back some market share in the all-important small utility segment. Through July, Ford has sold nearly 63,000 Bronco Sports in the U.S. this year. A hybrid is expected to debut in 2024.

Edge: Ford will kill the Edge at the end of its current life cycle, in 2023, when it will convert the Oakville plant, where the midsize crossover is built, into an EV facility. Ford has stressed that it wants to focus on iconic products that evoke customers' passion. With the popularity of the Bronco Sport and Escape, which is still one of Ford's highest-volume products despite its sales drop, keeping a third two-row utility in the lineup made less and less sense.

Explorer: It's safe to say the Explorer has recovered from its bungled launch. U.S. sales are up 10 percent this year through July, despite the chip crisis pinching production.

Ford is launching a new off-road trim, the Timberline, in the coming months. The variant will start at $47,010, including shipping. It features steel skid plates and unique shocks, springs and stabilizer bars that, along with all-terrain tires, boost the large crossover's ride height by 0.8 inch over the base model. ST and ST-Line performance variants also will launch by the end of this year. The gasoline-powered Explorer will continue to be built at Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant.

Although Ford has mostly kept mum about its future EV plans, CEO Jim Farley said this year that the Explorer was next in line to get battery power. Ford will launch an electric Explorer in 2023 from its Cuautitlan, Mexico, plant, which also builds the Mustang Mach-E.

Bronco: Ford's highest-profile launch this year has been stymied by roof issues, but the automaker still expects big things from its off-road SUV. Once it works through the kinks in production, Ford plans a number of Bronco variants, including a Raptor performance version next year. The SUV is expected to be updated with a hybrid variant in 2024 to compete with the Jeep Wrangler 4xe.

Expedition: Before its 2018 redesign, the hulking family-hauler hadn't been updated in nearly two decades. Ford won't make that same mistake again. Its largest SUV is expected to be freshened early next year for the 2022 model year, likely focusing on software upgrades, including over-the-air-update capability, Sync 4 and Ford's BlueCruise driver-assist system. The automaker also plans to add a more rugged Timberline variant. Expect a redesign in 2024 that would add a hybrid option.

Maverick: Ford promised disgruntled sedan owners that it would have something for them, eventually. That something is the 2022 Maverick, which launches this year. It will be the first Ford to come standard with a hybrid powertrain, which is expected to get fuel economy of 40 mpg city. It can haul up to 1,500 pounds, and it can tow up to 4,000 pounds with an optional EcoBoost gasoline engine. Ford last month said it had about 100,000 reservations for the compact pickup.

Ranger: The midsize pickup that Ford builds alongside the Bronco at its Michigan Assembly Plant is due for a reengineering in 2023. The streets around Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., have been full of camouflaged Ranger Raptors in recent months. While some are European models, the U.S. is scheduled to get a Raptor variant, powered by a 3.0-liter V-6 engine, as part of the reengineering. A hybrid variant is expected, likely in 2025.

F-150: The F-150 remains Ford's crown jewel, and last year's redesign will all but ensure that the F-Series will remain the nation's bestselling vehicle line. The PowerBoost hybrid with an onboard generator made headlines for helping Texas residents and a Michigan wedding party after power outages. The previous-generation pickup was known for meaningful updates throughout its life cycle, and this one won't be any different. Ford just launched a Raptor variant and has promised an even more powerful Raptor R with a V-8 engine in 2022. A midcycle freshening is planned in 2025.

In addition, Ford is betting that a battery-powered version of such a high-volume nameplate can help speed the adoption of EVs. Early returns are positive: Ford has more than 120,000 preorders for the F-150 Lightning, which will go on sale in mid-2022. It features standard four-wheel drive; the F-150's first independent rear suspension; an improved onboard generator that can power a house or work site for three days; and the industry's largest front trunk, with 14.1 cubic feet of space — enough room for two sets of golf clubs. Ford said the Lightning has a targeted 0-to-60-mph time in the mid-four-second range, and its dual electric motors are expected to produce 563 hp and 775 pound-feet of torque. The pickup can tow up to 10,000 pounds and haul up to 2,000. It will be assembled at Ford's new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn.

Super Duty: Following the Super Duty's pre-pandemic update, which included an off-road-focused Tremor package, Ford plans to redesign the large pickup line in 2023. Unlike with the smaller F-150, which is ditching a diesel variant, the Super Duty will continue to offer a Power Stroke diesel option.

Transit Connect: Ford's small van will be redesigned in 2023, and production will move to North America. Instead of importing the Transit Connect from Spain, Ford plans to build it in Mexico on its C2 platform alongside the Bronco Sport and Maverick. Ford is expected to offer a hybrid powertrain on the vehicle, likely with the same 2.5-liter engine that will power the Maverick.

Transit: Ford has no plans to redesign its segment-leading gasoline-powered large van in the near future. Instead, all eyes have turned to the electric model, called the E-Transit, which launches this year starting at $44,990, including shipping. The most efficient variant will get 126 miles on a charge. And while that doesn't sound like a lot compared with most passenger vehicles, Ford says research shows commercial buyers don't need much more than that. The vehicle will be squarely geared toward fleet buyers, an area where Ford is facing increasing competition from startups as well as established rivals such as General Motors.

Autonomous vehicle: Ford plans to launch its autonomous commercial vehicle services next year. While the automaker has promised an eventual purpose-built AV, it will start by using Escape hybrids outfitted with self-driving technology. It's unclear what type of vehicle Ford will use in the future, but a van remains the most likely candidate.