It’s a little hard to believe that we’ve already started the slide into 2019. Even crazier to think about the electric slide the auto industry is making. While automakers aren’t making much money on their hybrids quite yet, the auto manufacturing industry is investing a lot into this technology because they know it’s the wave of the future. Ford is investing $700 million into it’s Flat Rock, Michigan plant and canceling the plans on the $1.6 billion new plant in Mexico. This will also bring about 700 new jobs in Flat Rock.
By 2020, Ford plans to introduce a hybrid version of the Mustang with power that promises to compare to a V-8. Ford plans to launch a hybrid F-150 (without losing any power from its gas model) and a small SUV alongside the Mustang in 2020 with a plan of introducing another 13 hybrid models over the next five years. In 2021 Ford will debut an autonomous model for the ride-sharing market as well as hybrid pursuit-rated police cars. Complete crossovers are also on the docket for a 2020 release.
Other automakers are also revving up for the new-world electric order. From hybrids to complete crossovers, well-established to start-up, the electric wave cannot be ignored. With some manufacturers boasting promises of 0-60 in under 3 seconds, distances of up to 400 miles, and horsepower reaching 1,000, the upcoming trends prove to continue to inspire us to save the planet without having to give up any of the things we’ve grown to love about our automobiles.
2019 is the year of the pure electric SUV: the Jaguar I-Pace; Audi E-Tron; Mercedes E-Q; Volvo XC40; BMW iX3; Hyundai Kona Electric; Kia Nero EV; Ford Mach 1; Tesla Model Y; Byton M-Byte; Rivian; SF Motors SF5 & 7; Faraday Future FF91; and Volkswagen I.D. Crozz. This new technology allows consumers who want electric not to have to forego the practicality they’ve come to love in their SUVs.
If you’re curious about your favorite make and model, do a Google search and see if there might be something coming your way soon. Chances are it is and that it’s going to be just as good as the one you have right now if not even better! And you can count on your team at Robert’s Collisions & Repair to stay cutting edge and remain on top of the latest technologies as they roll out from trusted and start-up manufacturers. We’ve got you covered!