April 6, 2005
Taiwan's Ford Liu Ho Motor Co. announced in mid-March that it will begin importing the Ford Escape Hybrid sports utility vehicle from the United States in 2005. Not only will the release of Taiwan's first gasoline-electric hybrid mark a positive step towards improving air quality in the island's urban centers, it will also strengthen FLH's image as an environmentally-friendly automaker.
The Escape Hybrid is equipped with both a 2.3 liter gasoline engine and a 330 volt nickel-hydrogen battery-powered motor. The electric motor generates up to 65 kilowatts of power, equivalent to 94 horsepower. This environmentally-friendly SUV gets 36 miles to the gallon, much better gas mileage than standard SUVs. Its emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides are 97% lower than those of gasoline-powered vehicles, meaning it meets the zero-emissions standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
As hybrid technology has only recently been commercialized, the Escape Hybrid will have a sticker price of around
NTD 1.5 million in Taiwan, nearly
NTD 500,000 more than non-hybrid models in its class. Hoping to make hybrid vehicles more affordable, FLH has provided information regarding subsidies and tax breaks other governments have extended to hybrid vehicles to Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration in order to help the agency study the possibility of providing similar incentives in Taiwan.
Even more exciting than the domestic release of the import Escape Hybrid is FLH's statement that it will consider manufacturing an Escape Hybrid here in Taiwan both for the domestic market and export to other markets in the Asia Pacific region.
FLH president Jeffrey Shen said that a number of Taiwanese enterprises are pursuing research and development on battery technology, which he cited as the crucial element in the development of hybrid vehicles. With this in mind, Shen said that FLH would consider teaming up with a local enterprise in order to develop a hybrid system that could be used in the production of Taiwan's first domestic hybrid model. A domestic model would sell for significantly less because it would not be subject to the customs taxes levied on import models.
In addition to introducing the Escape Hybrid, FLH also plans to release domestic Metrostar and Focus models equipped with Ford's new TDCi diesel engine in 2005. These new diesel models, which provide fuel economy, low running costs and reduced emissions, will comply with Taiwan's Phase 4 emissions standards ahead of schedule.
Ford Motor Co. is grooming FLH as a Ford Asia Pacific manufacturing base. In 2005, FLH will start exporting its made-in-Taiwan Escape and Tribute to Japan and other countries. The decision to market FLH models in quality conscious Japan is a strong affirmation of the quality of Taiwan's auto industry.
(United Daily News)
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