Written by R.E. Lord

Electric Ford FocusFord executive Sue Cischke laid out the company's near-term plans for the all-electric Ford Focus, noting that most of the initial production will rollout in 2012 rather than 2011.

"We had always said 2011," said Cischke to reporters in Washington, "which we'll still do, but I think you'll see more of the concentrated volume in 2012. Right now, we're getting ready to provide a little bit slower entry."

Cischke predicts the car will likely achieve around 100 miles per charge, though weather and battery degradation could certainly limit that target.  She noted that "you need to have some margin there."

Certainly Ford has been keeping an eye on both the Nissan Leaf and GM's Volt and Cischke believes that her company would "learn from what they are doing and how they are marketing it."

Nissan is expecting to sell around 20,000 Leafs its first year, while GM is shooting for around 10,000 to 15,000.  Cischke expects production numbers for the all-electric Focus to be "somewhere between the two when we first start out" though she did note the production could be bumped up if demand warranted it.

Source: Detroit News