Speaking with trade journal Automotive News, Uli Koesters, Ford’s line director for large cars in Europe, explained the Blue Oval hasn’t offered a plug-in hybrid in Europe yet because demand remains low. Buyers looking to save money at the pump generally turn to frugal diesels, and even standard hybrids have largely failed to gain traction on the Old Continent.
Several companies have chosen to buck the diesel trend and offer at least one plug-in hybrid in Europe. Mitsubishi sells the Outlander PHEV, Toyota offers the plug-in Prius and Volvo recently introduced the diesel-electric V60. Volkswagen is entering the market with GTE-badged plug-in hybrid variants of the Golf and the new, Europe-only eighth-gen Passat.
Koesters said Ford is keeping a close eye on plug-in hybrid sales in Europe and it stands ready to quickly respond if market conditions change and sales go up. That hasn’t been the case yet: Automotive News reveals the most popular plug-in hybrid in the first half of 2014 was the Outlander with a little under 9,000 sales across the 28 countries that make up the European Union.
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