Ford is working hard to become the leader in hybrid and electric vehicles (EV) as they invest over $130 million to build an advanced electrification center in Dearborn, Michigan. The facility will employ approximately 1,000 engineers and will accelerate the companies EV development capabilities. The company hopes to top the market by launching five new electric or hybrid vehicles this year alone. Ford has just recently started developing their own transmission technology which will be built on the same platform as their mainstream gasoline engines. This has allowed them to cut the costs by 30% and will also allow the company to build vehicles according to consumer demand. Amy Machesney, the C-Max marketing manager said Ford feels it now has a product capable of competing with Toyota, and we are confident our EV and hybrid vehicles are comparable to the Prius.