Ford Will Likely Get Reprieve To Meet European CO2 Target

Ford has been quite vocal about the need for more robust incentives for all-electric vehicles in Europe, where that type of model actually lost market share in 2024. The Blue Oval has thus far found it difficult to sell EVs across that region, which is a problem not only given its massive investments in that area, but also, ever-increasing emissions targets imposed by the European Union as it aims to phase out the sale of pure ICE models by in the coming years. However, rather than facing hefty fines for not meeting its CO2 target last year, it looks like Ford might be getting a bit of a pass.

According to Reuters, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has informed automakers that she plans to draft a proposal this month that will give automakers three years to meet CO2 emission targets for 2025, rather than one year. It’s believed that this new target will be based on the average between 2025-2027, though it will still need to be approved by the European Parliament and EU governments. Additionally, the commission president noted that the targets themselves won’t be lowered. “The targets stay the same. They have to fulfill the targets, but it means more breathing space for the industry,” she said.

Ford officials have stated on numerous occasions that the EU needs to take action if it wants automakers to reach these goals – with its chief focus remaining on the lack of incentives that EV shoppers can take advantage of to make those kinds of purchases more enticing. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported that mission recently while speaking at the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center, calling the move “necessary” for the region to meet its emissions targets.

Back in late January, the EU announced that it would be inviting automakers to discuss this same topic and figure out ways it can still reach its zero-emissions targets without having to scale them back. Ford and other automakers that failed to meet their stair step goal in 2024 have already avoided paying hefty fines for doing so, however, using various mitigation methods such as purchasing credits from automakers that did.