Ford plans new hybrid series to compete with Toyota Prius

hmmm I think Ford is a bit too late... like 10 years late to enter the race.

Specially now that Japan automakers are either aiming to electric cars and/or Fuel cell cars.

Agreed Daniel, they've been sitting on their collective butts ignoring support for those of us that want more environmentally friendly (especially non-emission vehicles", and the one all EV that they did make hasn't been upgraded for quite a long time and wasn't made until the Feds forced it down their throats.

Another issue is they want to try and get rid of all the gasoline vehicles they've been throwing money on for decades and hopefully more people aren't wanting them.

All I can say is to Ford is, "Hello Tesla, I'm waiting for your 35K USD model to come to market".

van-like Prius V

That's an ambitious claim.

But not as ambitious as Ford's hopes to catch up by adopting a technology that will hopefully be obsolete in ten years.

hmmm I think Ford is a bit too late... like 10 years late to enter the race.

It's never too late - just build a better car.

Remember, Japan's car industry started out late too.

I wouldn't call it a dedicated model, but possibly something that will use the platform from the successor to the current Focus model but designed specifically for a hybrid drivetrain. Ford will likely offer it in two versions, one that will replace the current C-Max hatchback and a larger one that will replace the C-Max Grand hatchback.

The class action lawsuit against Ford was filed shortly after ConsumerReports.org tested the fuel economy claims of the 2013 Fusion Hybrid sedan and C-Max Hybrid wagon. Ford claimed that the vehicles boasted a "47 city/47 highway/ and 47 combined mpg"; however, Consumer Reports found that the Fusion Hybrid achieved a 39 overall mpg, and 35 and 41 in city and highway conditions, respectively. Similarly, the C-Max Hybrid delivered a 37 overall mpg, with 35 for city and 38 for highway conditions. According to Consumer Reports, this was the largest overall mpg discrepancy it has seen among any current models; the overall mpg listed on the vehicles' fuel economy labels was off by 10 and 8 mpg, respectively, which translates to about 20%, according to the report.

Getting the high 50mpg (Prius) is very hard.