Ford’s Funny Little Secret

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Now, listen closely. For the past couple of years, the big bosses at Ford Motor Company (F 1.98%) and General Motors (GM +2.94%) have been flapping their arms and shouting about electric vehicles. Billions upon billions they promised, a grand spectacle of whirring motors and glowing screens. It was all rather… enthusiastic. But then, a curious thing happened. The public, it turned out, wasn’t quite as thrilled as they’d hoped. Like a magnificent, overstuffed pudding, the whole thing began to wobble and threaten to collapse.

And so, these same bosses, with a rather sheepish grin, started muttering about… hybrids. Not the sleek, futuristic machines they’d been boasting about, but a sort of in-between contraption. A bit of petrol, a bit of electric… a bit of a compromise. You might think this a rather dull development, but oh, there’s a wonderfully sneaky little secret hidden within it.

Profitability – A Most Peculiar Thing

A year or so ago, Ford’s top boss, a Mr. Jim Farley (a man who clearly enjoys counting pennies), let slip a rather important observation. It was lost amongst all the shouting about electric dreams, you see. He pointed out that these hybrid doohickeys were, surprisingly, starting to earn a bit of actual money. A proper profit, not just a puff of smoke and mirrors. Many thought hybrids were merely a stepping stone, something to be skipped over. But Mr. Farley, a sly one, knew better. Especially as Ford was currently losing fortunes on its Model e division – a sort of money-guzzling beast dedicated to these electric machines.

“A year ago,” he said (according to a little bird who told Automotive News), “we weren’t covering the cost premium for hybrids with the price that customers paid us. We are now.” Customers, it seems, are rather fond of these in-between solutions. A bit like preferring a slightly soggy biscuit to a completely tasteless one.

And get this: some of Ford’s hybrid models are now more profitable than their gasoline-guzzling cousins. Imagine that! A clever little trick, wouldn’t you say? Especially considering they’re now squeezing every last penny out of the components, even the batteries.

Hybrids – The Quiet Achievers

Not only are these hybrids making a tidy profit, but people are actually buying them. Ford sold over 228,000 of these contraptions in 2025, a whopping 22% increase! It was a record year for hybrid sales, and the F-150 hybrid, that mighty beast of a truck, remains the best-selling hybrid pickup in the land. And trucks, my friends, are where the really juicy profits are hidden. Like finding a whole chocolate bar tucked inside a sock.

Now, some of these hybrid sales are coming at the expense of the full-electric vehicles. In fact, Ford’s electric sales dipped a rather alarming 14% in 2025, and plunged a dreadful 52% in the last quarter. It seems the loss of that generous $7,500 tax credit rather put a damper on things.

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The Road Ahead – A Wobbly Path

The takeaway for those who like to watch numbers dance? This little step backwards, this focus on hybrids while the electric market sorts itself out, is actually rather good news for the bottom line. It’s a bit like patching a leaky roof before building a magnificent tower. Ford isn’t abandoning electric vehicles entirely, mind you. They’re merely regrouping, preparing for a better push in the coming years with a new Universal EV Platform and a midsize electric pickup in 2027.

So, Ford’s hybrids are surging, and that’s a good thing for investors. But it’s still a bit concerning that their big electric push is still a long way down the road. A wobbly path, indeed, but one that might just lead to a rather satisfying profit.

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2026-02-19 17:32