Ford Lio Ho Introduces Hybrid Escape Taiwan's Auto Market

Taipei, Dec. 28, 2005 (CENS)--Taiwan's carmaker Ford Lio Ho Motor Co., a local subsidiary of Ford Motor of the U.S., recently announced introduction of the hybrid version of Escape sport utility vehicle (SUV) model into the island for domestic sales.

Ford Lio Ho will lead its local counterpart, Hotai Motor Co. Ltd., the agent of both locally produced and imported Toyota cars, to import hybrid cars into the island.

Hotai president Yang Hsign-chuan said that his company is scheduled to demonstrate the imported Prius hybrid model in March 2006 and aims to sell about 300 units in the first stage.

Industry sources said currently only Ford, Toyota, and Honda mass produce hybrid cars, but only the first two companies are interested in the Taiwan market.

Ford Lio Ho president Jeffery Shen said that Ford U.S. demonstrated the hybrid Escape SUV early this year in the North American market and is expected to sell over 20,000 units of such vehicles in 2005. After intensive negotiations with the American headquarters, the local president said, Taiwan became the world's first market outside North America to sell Ford's high-tech hybrid models.

Ford's hybrid-version Escape is priced at NT$1.88 million (US$56,456 at US$1: NT$33.3) per unit in Taiwan.

According to Hotai president Yang, his company plans to import a hybrid model priced at about NT$1.3 million (US$39,039). This year, according to Yang, Toyota sold over 200,000 hybrid cars worldwide.

Local carmakers hold different views about the government's subsidization policy for the environment-friendly hybrid cars. Yulon Group, which locally produces Nissan and GM (by flagship company Yulon Motor Co.) as well as Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler (by China Motor Corp.) car models, deems that currently there are only a few companies able to produce hybrid models and that it would be unfair if the government subsidizes only the local agents of such vehicles.

On another front, ranking officials of Ford Lio Ho and Hotai called upon related officials at the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) under the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) to strive for some subsidies from the government, such as tariff deduction on imported hybrid cars, to stimulate customers' buying willingness. Until now, however, related authorities have yet to map out any subsidization policy for hybrid cars.