Auto News 5

One of the great ongoing debates in the automotive world is which of the many alternative-fuel strategies will emerge as the magic key to consumer acceptance and big sales for automakers. Will it be parallel-series hybrids like the ones already on sale for the past decade? Will be it dedicated battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) like the new Nissan Leaf? Or will it be plug-in hybrid powertrains like the new Chevy Volt? No one really knows, as evidenced by the fact that the Ford Motor Company is hedging its bets and plans to provide vehicles with a wide range of alternative-fuel powertrains. Witness the upcoming C-Max, which will be offered both with a familiar parallel-series hybrid powertrain like the one in the current Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan as well as a plug-in hybrid powertrain in the C-Max Energi. Ford will also offer its new Focus not only with conventional powertrains but also as an electric model beginning in late 2011.