A Chevrolet Volt is charged at a public electric vehicle charging station at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. Demand for hybrid cars and electric vehicles may be more modest than advocates for those fuel-saving technologies expect, capturing only 7.3 percent of global sales by 2020, according to a forecast by J.D. Power & Associates.

Combined deliveries of hybrids, such as Toyota Motor Corp.(TM)s Prius, and battery-powered cars including Nissan Motor Co.(TM)s Leaf may reach 5.2 million units that year, out of an estimated 70.9 million passenger vehicle sales, J.D. Power said in the study released today. That falls short of Nissan-Renault Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn(TM)s prediction that electric cars alone will be 10 percent of global sales by 2020. Consumers will ultimately decide whether these vehicles are commercially successful or not, said John Humphrey, senior vice president of automotive operations for J.D. Power. [Read the full article]

Given all the apparent excitement surrounding electric vehicles and the billions invested by automakers, financial firms and government incentives, you would assume there was a groundswell of consumer support for hybrid and battery electric cars underlying this momentum. Unfortunately, according to a J.D. Power and Associates report released this morning, we may be on the electric car bandwagon but once you get us to the dealership, we look the other way. The firm predicts that in 2010, international sales of hybrid and battery electric cars will total 5.2 million, or 7.3%, of the 70-plus million consumer vehicles expected to be sold. This year, the world is on track to sell 954,500 electric units, 2.2% of all car sales. Thus, in a decade, consumers will only move the needle about 5 percentage points, from 2.2 to 7.3. If the future of the car is electric, it’s not happening in the next decade and— given the sluggish growth curve— not the one after that either. [Read the full article]

An analyst raised his share price target for Ford Motor Co. after the company posted a solid $1.7 billion third-quarter profit on Tuesday and paid down more of its debt.THE OPINION: Barclays Capital analyst Brian Johnson wrote in a note to investors that Ford's strong third-quarter performance should carry through to the fourth quarter, with stronger earnings power coming in 2011. Ford's actions to improve its balance sheet have led Johnson to raise his 2011 share price target for the automaker from $16 to $17. Ford announced it had paid $2 billion in debt last quarter and expects to pay $3.6 billion more that it owes for retiree health care. The company also announced an offer to covert $3.5 billion in notes to common stock and said it expects to end the year with as much cash as debt, a year earlier than forecast.Ford is getting higher prices for its vehicles and its quality is improving, so it could improve earnings even if the U.S. [Read the full article]

Enthusiasts more concerned with clipping the apex of an off-camber decreasing-radius turn than with getting from point A to B will be delighted that the upcoming new Ford Focus is offered with a pair of optional handling packages. All Focus models start with specifically tuned electric power-assisted steering (EPAS), Control Blade independent rear suspension and torque vectoring control. The Focus SE Sport Package adds suspension upgrades and unique trim to its enthusiast-pleasing manual transmission. The Titanium Handling Package adds 18-inch wheels on summer performance tires. more...Ford is making an $850 million investment in Michigan between 2011 and 2013 as part of the company's commitment to competitively grow its engineering and manufacturing employee base, upgrade its facilities in the state and further improve its vehicle fuel economy. Among other projects, Ford will expand manufacturing capabilities for new, fuel-efficient six-speed transmissions. [Read the full article]