It wasn’t too terribly long ago that Ford was investing heavily in all-electric vehicles all across the globe, but its ambitions in Europe were even greater – in fact, the automaker planned to transition its entire passenger vehicle lineup to EVs in that region by 2030 or sooner. However, declining consumer demand has since prompted the automaker to scale back those plans in North America, delaying multiple models, expanding its hybrid offerings, and touting its diverse powertrain offerings in what amounts to a major pivot.
In Europe, The Blue Oval is set to launch the all-new Ford Explorer EV this summer, but its electrified plans beyond it and another model riding on Volkswagen’s MEB platform remain a bit unclear, and the automaker could pivot to include a new, low-cost platform and perhaps even small cars. Now, somewhat unsurprisingly, Ford is altering its EV timeline in Europe amid weak demand, according to Financial Times.
Europe’s Ford Model e head Martin Sander revealed that the automaker will no longer adhere to its 2030 goal in that region, noting that such a target is now “irrelevant” due to the fact that EV sales are currently trending “below expectations.” Sander added that the speed of the transition to EVs ultimately comes “down to the consumer,” adding that FoMoCo plans to focus on hybrids in the short term as part of its pivot.
“Demand is behind our expectations now and we are not hitting our ambitious targets. Everyone is getting extremely nervous. It’s irrelevant if [the electric vehicle-only date] is going to be in 2030 or 2035. The trajectory is clear. We are committed to zero emissions . . . we just need to be reasonable about it and together find a way to manage to get to net zero in a profitable way,” Sander added.
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Comments
Any thinking person could clearly see that it will take decades to make such an immense transition. Nice to see Ford and others pulling their head out of their sand finally.
True but if Govermental heads force the change via “mandates” then what?
Then we re-volt.