Earlier this year, Ford ditched an admittedly “ambitious” plan to convert its entirely passenger vehicle lineup in Europe to pure EVs by 2030 or sooner, and will instead continue to sell ICE and hybrid models there for the foreseeable future. However, in the UK, Ford is facing potential fines for not meeting that country’s own zero-emissions rules, which is partially driven by the fact that demand for EVs there, in general, remains soft. Thus, it now seems possible that Ford hybrids could remain on sale in the UK through 2035, in spite of prior expectations.
This news comes to us from The Guardian, which notes that the UK government is reportedly considering allowing the sale of Ford hybrids – as well as regular hybrids, in general – through 2035, rather than just EVs and plug-in hybrids. The UK still reportedly plans to ban the sale of pure ICE models in 2030, however, but automakers have long lobbied for the government to allow for the sale of hybrids for longer periods as demand for EVs continues to wane behind expected levels of growth. Regardless, at the moment, regular hybrids only make up 13.5 percent of total new vehicle sales in the UK, and PHEVs account for 8.4 percent.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has long been skeptical that ZEV mandates will be effective, noting that the industry needs to remain open-minded and explore a variety of alternatives rather than trying to force EVs on consumers. In the UK, specifically, Ford has also been quite vocal about the need for robust government incentives designed to increase EV sales, which it views as necessary if that country – as well as Europe – intends to go fully electric in the coming years.
Meanwhile, massive hits to its passenger vehicle business in Europe recently prompted Ford to announce that it will eliminate 4,000 jobs in that region, with most of those cuts occurring in Germany and the UK – which it hopes will come mostly from voluntary retirements and not outright layoffs. The Blue Oval is also making changes to Ford Explorer EV and Capri production that will result in the addition of more short-time days at the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center in Germany starting in Q1 2025.
No Comments yet