Ford and Toyota are calling quits to their two-year joint effort to develop new hybrid engines that can be used in full-size pickup trucks and SUVs.
Ford says it expects to deploy a hybrid system for trucks later this decade, an interesting development considering how the automaker has so fully embraced turbocharging to save gas in trucks, rather than battery-reliant systems.
“After successfully completing the feasibility and development of the hybrid system project with Toyota, Ford is moving forward on its own with development of a rear-wheel-drive hybrid system for Ford pickups and SUVs,” Ford said in a statement buried in a release touting its hybrid sales recently.
Toyota quickly countered with its own statement, saying the endeavor the two companies embarked on two years ago is now over and “we have agreed to develop hybrid systems individually.”
The collaboration seemed like a great idea at the time. Hybrid drive systems are almost always front-wheel drive, not the rear-wheel drive needed for pickups. Ford is the leading seller of pickup trucks with its F-150 and has some of its own hybrid models. Toyota is the world leader in hybrids and fully embraces them over other gas-saving technologies.
Now, the joint effort is kaput.
But Toyota and Ford aren’t closing the door on other collaborations. They’re thinking of working on infotainment systems together and other telematics efforts.
