Ford is hard at work in China, trying to update its aging lineup to keep up with the competition of local Chinese brands. One of Ford’s new cars for China is the Equator PHEV, unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show in mid-November. The Equator PHEV is a mid-size 3-row SUV with seven seats and front-wheel drive.
How Is Ford Doing In China?
Ford has two joint ventures in China, Changan-Ford and Jiangling-Ford (aka JMC-Ford). Originally, the former focused on passenger cars and the latter on commercial vehicles. However, when the Chinese car market took off in the late 2000s, Jiangling Ford also moved into the passenger car market. Today, the two joint ventures sell 16 passenger car models together. In China, ICE and EV/PHEV versions of the same car are usually counted as different models. Ford also sells some imported models.
Here’s the breakdown:
Changan-Ford: Mondeo, Escape, Escape PHEV, Evos, Mustang Mach-E, Explorer, Edge L.
Jiangling-Ford: Territory, Territory EV, Bronco, Ranger, Equator, Equator Sport, Equator Sport PHEV, and the new Equator PHEV.
Import: Mustang, F-150 Raptor.
Sales Are Down
Like many foreign brands, Ford has been losing market share in China due to increased competition from local brands, insufficient EVs, low tech, and an aging lineup. Ford only sells two EVs in China: the Mustang Mach-E and the Territory EV. The latter, however, is a rebadged version of the Jiangling Yusheng S330 SUV. Ford has already withdrawn from the compact car market, having canceled once-popular names like the Focus, the Fiesta, and the Escort.
In October 2024, Ford sold 13,229 cars in China, good for 33rd place in the sales ranking. In October 2016, Ford was 8th, selling 87,898 cars. By October 2020, Ford had dropped to 23, selling 24,782 vehicles. That’s a giant drop in a short time, showing how far the Chinese car market has grown since 2016.
Let’s have a closer look at October, 2024. Changan-Ford was responsible for 80% of the sales and Jiangling-Ford took the rest. The Top 3 best-selling models were the Mondeo, the Edge L, and the Explorer. The Mach-E is unpopular in China. In October, Ford sold only 48 units. Sales of the Territory EV are nil, and it wasn’t even ranked in October. The car was launched in 2019 and hasn’t been updated since. So, Ford urgently needs modern models with better EV & PHEV powertrains, like the new Equator PHEV.
The Ford Equator Family
Names can be deceiving in China. It is common to use the same name for different vehicles. Carmakers try to capitalize on the popularity of an earlier model by giving a new model a similar name, even if it is a completely different vehicle. This has also happened to the Equator name.
The original Ford Equator debuted in 2021. It is a 3-row six-seat SUV with a length of 193.1 inches and a 112.8-inch wheelbase. The Equator Sport is a shorter 2-row five-seat SUV with a length of 182.3 inches and a 104.3-inch wheelbase (about the size of a Chevy Equinox). The Equator Sport PHEV is a plug-in hybrid variant of the Equator Sport, with some distinctive design elements. The new Equator PHEV is a plug-in hybrid variant of the Equator, but with a completely redesigned front and rear. It also has an updated dashboard and ADAS. The Chinese name for ‘Equator’ is 领裕 (Linyu).
The Ford Equator PHEV
The Equator PHEV (again, different from the Equator Sport PHEV) has a modernized design compared to the original Equator. It comes with a new grille and headlights, with EQUATOR lettering on the nose, gray trim in the bumper and on the doors, chromed window frames and roof rails, and fancy new aero alloy wheels.
The powertrain
The Equator PHEV is a front-wheel drive car. The PHEV system combines a 150 hp/177 ft-lbs 1.5 turbo four-cylindere with a 218 hp/232 ft-lbs electric motor. It has a two-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT). The top speed is 112 mph and it does 0-100 (0-62 mph) km in 7.7 seconds. Electricity is stored in a CATL 18.4 kWh LFP battery pack with a 14-minute 30-80% fast charging time. Gasoline goes into a 13.7-gallon fuel tank. The fuel consumption is 1.25 gallons per 62 miles (4.75L/100 km), which is good for a combined range of 749 miles. The EV range is 68 miles.
The Equator PHEV is a 3-row car with seven seats in a 2/2/3 configuration. The size is 193.7 inches long (about the size of a Toyota Highlander), with a 112-inch wheelbase and a 4,541 lbs curb weight.
The interior
The interior is quite modern for a Chinese Ford. The centerpiece is the twin 12.3-inch screen, combining a driver’s display and a screen for the infotainment. It is equipped with the Ford Co-Pilot 360 L2 ADAS. Computing power comes from a single Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip.
It also has facial recognition, fatigue driving monitoring, gesture recognition, and a cockpit monitoring system to keep an eye on the kids and grandma in the back.
The price
Ford offers the Equator PHEV in 3 trim levels, six interior colors, and two interior color combinations. The car in the photos is painted in Wilderness Green with a Light Urban Gray/Wilderness Green interior. The price range starts at 206.800 yuan and ends at 238.800 yuan, which is $28,500 to $33,000.
Naturally, like EVERY China-made car, the Ford Equator PHEV is a good vehicle for camping. It has enough space for large camping boxes, a speaker, a coffee machine, a picnic basket, and a football for soccer.
Ford also sells camping extras like a tent and camping furniture. The Equator PHEV has a 3.3 kW V2L connector to power external appliances, like that coffee maker.
Does it have a chance?
The Equator PHEV looks new but it dates back to 2021, which is a long time in China. Let’s compare the new Ford to some of its main PHEV competitors:
The Ford performs reasonably well in this comparison, despite its higher base price. However, it lacks a karaoke function—a feature some competitors offer—though Ford isn’t alone in omitting it. That said, the Equator PHEV could help Jiangling-Ford gain more market share compared to Changan-Ford and potentially boost Ford’s overall sales.
Lots of things would sell great here, the Hilux and the Rampage come to mind as well. Seems like nobody is really pressing automakers why they’re so uninterested in bringing these to America.
There is no way I am buying that Ford when I can have the BYD and karaoke. Think of how jealous people will be as I sit next to them in traffic, belting out hit after hit.
There is absolutely ZERO chance that car is going that distance with that battery in any place other than the CLTC cycle, which has an average speed of 18 MPH. 23 MPH if you only count time the car is moving.
I used to work for Ford in China briefly, back when they were still a top 10 brand (but on the way down). Their sharp decline in the country is a bit sad to see, but not entirely surprising given how slow they reacted to a fast-changing market.
The American car companies have always offered better stuff in other markets than we get here :/
As a (former) lifelong Ford fan; hard agree. The brand died for me when they stopped making cars.
“You WILL buy the F-150. You WILL take an 84-month note at 4% apr. You WILL trade it back to us when it craps out well before you’re done making payments.”
Or the Ford Evos would be a good selection as well if we were to bring something from Ford China.
These pretty good looking cars and I think they would do well in the states. it’s always surprising they don’t bring them out here.
Also, “and a football for soccer.” That’s the kind of auto journalism I like paying for!
Slap a rear motor onto that bad boy. Make it AWD only for NA. Too bad that Ford can’t access a NA sourced and produced LFP battery. Otherwise this would be great, starting at about $40k. Highlander, eat your hat!
Oooh, another round of the “Hybrids are the Best EVs”.
I won’t be interested in joining your rabid hybrid cult until the manufacturers figure out how to make them fast.
Show me a hybrid with a 0-60 of under 3 and I’ll buy it.
The 68 mile range is CLTC since that wasn’t mentioned in the article. In the US, the EPA would likely rate this around 40 if not lower. Not bad, though the lack of a karaoke function may be tougher to overcome
Wait! No Karaoke function?
I’m out!!
A notable difference compared to NA market PHEVs is the battery pack; while 18.4kWh is not unheard of, the LFP cell chemistry is. IMO a PHEV use case amplifies the lifetime wear advantages of LFP over NMC, since full 0-100% charge cycles are more common. Obviously a significant hurdle is the lower energy density, requiring more volume and weight than an NMC pack.
Something I really like about the Chinese market is that I often see 30-80% charge times quoted (possibly by law?), rather than only the semi best case scenario that is the 10-80% charge time.
Looks pretty decent but front wheel drive only would probably doom it here.
I find it interesting that the Ford Territory is considered old at 5 years in China, while in North America the Dodge journey is ancient and the Express hasn’t really changed since the late 1900’s and They did just fine for what they are.
To be fair 5 year old designs (without refreshes) is considered kind of old here too, especially in competitive segments. Obviously more niche segments like sports cars, some off-road SUVs (4Runner), and many FCA/Stellantis products can get away with longer lifecycles. A notable exception is the RAV4, which has received shockingly few updates for such a successful non-budget product.
Also, I believe the outdated comment was aimed specifically more at the EV model; EV technology has changed drastically in the past 5 years in North America, let alone in China where NEV startups really started to get going after around 2021, and there was also a major price war since then. The EV market is so competitive and innovative there that even 3 year old models might feel as outdated as 5 year old models, though things may start slowing down. While solid-state batteries might be a paradigm shift, they will likely be expensive for a while, and several startups and smaller brands may go under as they get outcompeted.
It is much older than that actually. The original car it was based on (the Yusheng S330) was first released in 2016. The Territory is nothing more than a slight redesign of the S330 with a different interior.
How does the Evos do? I think it’s quite handsome for what it is, and I suspect it’s actually the Fusion Active that Ford had originally promised us here in the states back in 2017, before the tariffs made that unfeasible.
It was originally thought that the Evos was going to replace the Mondeo before they announced the actual new Mondeo. It recently got renamed to Mondeo Sport in August of this year.
If we’re talking wants from Changan-Ford, how about sending over that Mondeo hybrid?
Mine is the Taurus from the Middle East market.
Isn’t that the same thing now? They dumped the big Chinese Taurus
I didn’t realize that – I always thought it was Middle East specific. So yeah, I’m in then!
Its a shame, that last Taurus was a real looker. China also has the Lincoln Z, which is pretty slick.
I have a sneaking fondness for the Escort, as it looks like ours from an alternative universe where SUVs never caught on here.