Article: Popularity of Ford Maverick Hybrid pickup a 'big' surprise for the industry, even Ford

[Mikknj]

That is exactly my conspiracy theory about why there isn't an AWD hybrid. Less margin compared to the EB AWD and would obliterate ranger sales. Not to mention put alot of pressure on the 23 ranger launch. Which tbh there already is. If I was on the ranger team and seeing what the mav team pulled off I'd be nervous. I think the hybrid AWD would have even peeled off enough f150 sales that it was at least something to think about

Agreed, I also think that Ford meant for the BASE model with Hybrid to the the BASE not the primary seller. They blew it! IF they added AWD to the Hybrid, there would be less reason to get an EB - 90% of sales would be Hybrid at the cheaper price. Looking at the option available on each model you can see they are carefully managing the value at each level. ( but they miscalculated on the hybrid Popularity - may not see an AWD for a while)

Sponsored

 

[JennyJoannSuebeeMcNash]

Well DUH. You advertise a retro-Ranger/ Maverick namesake that is a HYBRID for $19,995. Did you not expect an overwhelming response to that?

 

[markregel]

" Ford sold 13,258 Mavericks in the final three months of 2021, and 2,311 of those were hybrid. "

so much for the idea that hybrids were majority of all orders

That is because they were not building hybrids yet so there wasn't any to sell. An order is NOT a sale.

 

[MayerMR]

What goes through my mind is that If Ford canabalizes their mid sized truck sales they will HAVE to raise the price on the Maverick. Otherwise their profits and their future may be severely impacted. But I believe that a large group of people want this small truck. I have driven trucks my entire life starting in 1984 ( VW pickup ) I am not about to start buying a car. So I kept buying bigger and bigger and now it's just too crazy they are too big for the City. I've been crazed asking why we can't buy a small truck. Here comes Maverick! I can't be the only one?

I'm with you here. I'm stepping down from a full-sized truck, which I do use as a truck and, at times, to its capacity. I'll admit that I do have reservations about whether it's a good decision, being honest, but I just can't stomach paying what these new full-sized trucks cost. Until the recent crazy pricing of used vehicles, I have contented myself by buying used and getting the capabilities of a larger truck with the drawbacks of fuel economy and it being a huge pain to park in the city. But when I started shopping for a new truck I realized that I just plain don't want to pay all that money to take on the negatives with the big truck. Enter the Maverick - some negatives, but more positives. I'm a pretty loyal Ram guy, but Ford got me to convert with this one.

That is exactly my conspiracy theory about why there isn't an AWD hybrid. Less margin compared to the EB AWD and would obliterate ranger sales. Not to mention put alot of pressure on the 23 ranger launch. Which tbh there already is. If I was on the ranger team and seeing what the mav team pulled off I'd be nervous. I think the hybrid AWD would have even peeled off enough f150 sales that it was at least something to think about

I agree, if I were on the Ranger team I'd be having some sleepless nights. That said, a user on another platform reminded me that the Ranger is likely to do very well globally, as it's the "big" truck in a lot of markets. But I do believe its days are numbered in the US. The Ranger is just kind of the middle child in the line up now and doesn't really do what its bigger or smaller brother does as well and costs damn near as much as a full-sized truck.

I love being out of the main buyer categories. I’m a 30 year old male who just realizes that I don’t need a full-size or mid-size truck. I took one look at a Maverick XL in-person and knew it was the perfect size for my needs. I liked the modern but utilitarian interior and both power options have me struggling to make a firm decision.

Hear hear!

If ford were to offer awd option package on hybrid and hybrid package with higher tow capacity they could do away with the other version and complexity of handling two different drive trains. IMHO ecoboost sales are primarily based on awd and tow capacity not aversion to hybrid.

That's exactly why I went with the EcoBoost. AWD, tow, FX4.

This - 4,000 is well beyond the sampling point for us to know that 60/40 is the split, and will be until Ford changes the offerings! If they introduce a fully electric, or AWD Hybrid model at the refresh point (2024 at the earliest I suspect), well at that point it wouldn't surprise me to see the ecoboost going away entirely.

I would have paid $4-5K for a hybrid AWD with performance similar to the ecoboost and 35mpg combined rating.

Eh, kinda sorta. While the sampling size from this site is respectable from a % of data standpoint, it's not really representative. In order for it to be representative it would have to be from a random sampling of all the purchasers, which this site most certainly isn't. For instance, it is safe to say that we are all fairly comfortable with technology (we are on an internet forum) and are all members of an enthusiast website. The data we have is more akin to sampling only a single college town about an upcoming election; we might be able to get an adequate sample size, but the data would very likely be skewed towards the left-leaning candidate based on the demographics of such towns. I hope that explanation makes sense.

 

[notfast]

Automaker builds a vehicle that provides massive utility in an affordable package. Is surprised when people buy it

My exact thought. Better mileage than a Civic, cheaper starting price than a Civic, can carry a washing machine and dryer or your latest IKEA purchases with minimal risk of them decorating a freeway on the way home, and factory rated to tow 2,000 lbs.

I especially like the part about not having to lift stuff so high. The tailgate is a bit too low to use as a workbench, but it's a lot easier to load coolers and other bulky or heavy items when you don't have to lift them to chest-height.

 

[BlackXL]

OP. IMHO, being a loyal Ford customer with decades of poor fuel economy experience. I saw the hybrid Maverick as a “loss leader”. It will have been a 6 month wait for my new base model truck. I have been very impressed with the responsiveness and communications from both corporate and my local dealer. We purchased an AWD hybrid escape in 2005 (got great write-offs) that Momma still uses as a daily driver. I bought a 2008 prius used with 30,000 on it and still use it more than a 100,000 miles later. (Deer magnet). But, it is not my intention to make a compact hybrid fwd unibody pickup be a pulling rig. I have spent a lot of hours repairing turbocharged, fuel injected vehicles. Yes, they can be bullet-proofed, but the process is quite expensive. The unknown for me is the 1st gen ford produced square wind drive motors. (But, 100,000 mile warranty). It is a combination of initial capital outlay, maintenance cost, insurance cost and fuel economy. The alternative choice for me would be a new F-450 XL which would get less than 1/2 of the fuel economy, initial cost would be triple, maintenance and insurance roughly 2-3 times the cost of the base Maverick XL. Thanks for listening, tell me your thoughts - I don’t think Ford was surprised at all.

 

[Decayed]

one reason Ford will likely keep the price low is that they need to meet fuel economy standards across their fleet and the 40mpg maverick gives them some latitude when being offset by F-x50s adn other gas guzzles.

There is probably some very fine print in the EPA standards that Ford is exploiting. There is a dichotomy between what the EPA wants and what the market wants. I don't see how it can be $1k cheaper for Ford to make a hybrid vs the ecoboost; the numbers don't add up. In that case, Ford wouldn't want to make very many hybrids - only enough to create the fleet fuel economy numbers they have to meet.

 

[MayerMR]

There is probably some very fine print in the EPA standards that Ford is exploiting. There is a dichotomy between what the EPA wants and what the market wants. I don't see how it can be $1k cheaper for Ford to make a hybrid vs the ecoboost; the numbers don't add up. In that case, Ford wouldn't want to make very many hybrids - only enough to create the fleet fuel economy numbers they have to meet.

I, too, find it hard to believe that a new hybrid is actually cheaper to produce than the already-long-established and likely amortized EcoBoost 2.0. As others have mentioned, I bet it was positioned to be a loss-leader and that the AWD, tow packages, and FX4 packages were strategically chosen to only be offered on the EB drivetrain in order to entice people to step up to that higher margin configuration, and thusly, offset the lower margin sales of the hybrid. I mean, the folks at Ford aren't stupid, this is pretty standard business school case study strategy. And it worked on me - I stepped up to the 2.0 exactly because I wanted those packages.

 

[Decayed]

I, too, find it hard to believe that a new hybrid is actually cheaper to produce than the already-long-established and likely amortized EcoBoost 2.0. As others have mentioned, I bet it was positioned to be a loss-leader and that the AWD, tow packages, and FX4 packages were strategically chosen to only be offered on the EB drivetrain in order to entice people to step up to that higher margin configuration, and thusly, offset the lower margin sales of the hybrid. I mean, the folks at Ford aren't stupid, this is pretty standard business school case study strategy. And it worked on me - I stepped up to the 2.0 exactly because I wanted those packages.

Well, there is nothing technically stopping them from offering AWD/4k towing etc. in a hybrid. Other than lack of profits, that is. I am not unsympathetic to the need to turn a profit, but I would have gone with the hybrid if those options had been available.

 

[MayerMR]

Well, there is nothing technically stopping them from offering AWD/4k towing etc. in a hybrid. Other than lack of profits, that is. I am not unsympathetic to the need to turn a profit, but I would have gone with the hybrid if those options had been available.

Yup, totally agree. Like I said, I think it was a conscious choice made by Ford to help offset the lower margin hybrid. And it just so happens that they have a perfect excuse to do it this year with all the global supply chain issues.

 

[dalola]

I suspect, at some point, we'll see an AWD hybrid in the mix, but likely not with increased tow capacity. I don't think the ECVT is robust enough, and I doubt they would offer transmission options just to get increased towing. The 2.0/8AT combo will still be the only choice for folks who need the 4K tow capacity, as I see it.

 

[KeinoDoggy]

I suspect, at some point, we'll see an AWD hybrid in the mix, but likely not with increased tow capacity. I don't think the ECVT is robust enough, and I doubt they would offer transmission options just to get increased towing. The 2.0/8AT combo will still be the only choice for folks who need the 4K tow capacity, as I see it.

The eCVT has very few moving parts so it should be tough enough. They would be adding computer controlled motors to the rear which would provide all wheel drive. I would imagine much like the All wheel drive Escape.

 

[HD676]

I'm with you here. I'm stepping down from a full-sized truck, which I do use as a truck and, at times, to its capacity. I'll admit that I do have reservations about whether it's a good decision, being honest, but I just can't stomach paying what these new full-sized trucks cost. Until the recent crazy pricing of used vehicles, I have contented myself by buying used and getting the capabilities of a larger truck with the drawbacks of fuel economy and it being a huge pain to park in the city. But when I started shopping for a new truck I realized that I just plain don't want to pay all that money to take on the negatives with the big truck. Enter the Maverick - some negatives, but more positives. I'm a pretty loyal Ram guy, but Ford got me to convert with this one.



I agree, if I were on the Ranger team I'd be having some sleepless nights. That said, a user on another platform reminded me that the Ranger is likely to do very well globally, as it's the "big" truck in a lot of markets. But I do believe its days are numbered in the US. The Ranger is just kind of the middle child in the line up now and doesn't really do what its bigger or smaller brother does as well and costs damn near as much as a full-sized truck.



Hear hear!



That's exactly why I went with the EcoBoost. AWD, tow, FX4.



Eh, kinda sorta. While the sampling size from this site is respectable from a % of data standpoint, it's not really representative. In order for it to be representative it would have to be from a random sampling of all the purchasers, which this site most certainly isn't. For instance, it is safe to say that we are all fairly comfortable with technology (we are on an internet forum) and are all members of an enthusiast website. The data we have is more akin to sampling only a single college town about an upcoming election; we might be able to get an adequate sample size, but the data would very likely be skewed towards the left-leaning candidate based on the demographics of such towns. I hope that explanation makes sense.

I’ve owned three F150’s (03,14,18), two Rangers (98 & 03) and currently drive a Ram 1500. If I would have known about the Maverick last February when I bought my Ram I would have waited. My two favorite trucks by far have been my regular cab Rangers. I have no interest in a full sized, quad cab truck, but what else is out there? I looked hard at the Ranger last year but settled on the Ram based on price and features. The Ram was about 8-10k less than a comparable Ranger.
I am making money on the Ram by getting nearly 3k more for it now than I paid just 11 months ago. I could probably sell it outright for a few thousand more but by trading it in I am saving nearly 2k in sales tax. In PA you only pay sales tax on the difference in value. In my case, my trade is valued more than the selling price of my Maverick Plus I will be getting upwards of 12-15 mpg increase, at least doubling my current 13-15 mixed mpg in my Ram. More savings for me.

 

[Darnon]

The eCVT has very few moving parts so it should be tough enough. They would be adding computer controlled motors to the rear which would provide all wheel drive. I would imagine much like the All wheel drive Escape.

The AWD Escape Hybrid has a driveshaft. The Lincoln Corsair Hybrid, however, has electric AWD.

 

[KeinoDoggy]

The AWD Escape Hybrid has a driveshaft. The Lincoln Corsair Hybrid, however, has electric AWD.

Well seeing that the Maverick is built on the Escape chassis I will take a guess that the Maverick would use similar AWD as the hybrid Escape.....electric AWD.

Sponsored