We're glad Ford COO Jim Padilla heeded the memo about how whining to journalists about the competition comprises an effective corporate communications strategy. Padilla told a room full of Reuters hacks, shrimp eaters editorial types that Ford would build more hybrid vehicles if only Toyota — from whom it licenses some of the technology — wouldn't hog all the parts. He called the tactics of Toyota and Sanyo, which is the sole supplier of the 330-volt battery pack found in Ford's Escape hybrid, "predatory." Sanyo had said it would expand production of the batteries, also used by Honda, to 2 million per month by mid-2006. According to Reuters Ford and Honda buy around 200-250 individual nickel-metal-hydride batteries per hybrid. [Thanks to Tim for the tip.]
Ford would offer more hybrids, COO says, if more parts were available [CNN]
Related:
Frankfurt Announcement: Toyota to Go All Hybrid, All the Time [internal]