Last November, The Blue Oval cut production of the Ford Explorer and Capri EVs at the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center in Germany – mere months after it began – due to weak demand. IG Metall – the union that represents workers at the Cologne plant – warned that these cutbacks could spell the beginning of the end for that facility, though the automaker responded by saying that this move was a “temporary adjustment of production volumes” due to “significantly lower than expected demand for electric vehicles, especially in Germany.”
This past May, workers at the Cologne plant went on strike in protest of thousands of planned job cuts across Ford’s entire European operations, seeking an amicable resolution. Now, according to Reuters, Ford has reached an agreement with IG Metall that will result in protection for all employees at the Cologne plant through 2032. This will happen via voluntary redundancies, however, which will enable The Blue Oval to achieve its restructuring goals without having to force layoffs.
“The job cuts are primarily based on voluntary redundancies. The severance payments are generous and significantly better than usual in the automotive industry,” works council head Benjamin Gruschka said in a statement shared by Ford. A separate statement from the union said that while the future of Cologne production remains unclear, it welcomes the “safety net” provided by this deal, adding that it will provide details to workers today.
Ford has been quite up front about its struggles in Europe recently, a region where its sales declined by 17 percent in 2024 versus the year prior. Facing a bleak future in Europe amid weak demand for EVs and passenger vehicles in general, The Blue Oval is shuffling its leadership team and shifting its focus more toward the commercial side of the business, which is enjoying tremendous success there, at least, all while calling for robust government incentives in an effort to drum up demand for electric vehicles.
Comments
Oh yeah…
Europe gets More trucks..
Australia (who had the BEST Ford cars of all global production) gets zero everything.
USA gets nothing but trucks, SUVs and one car.
In the meantime, Ford will kill the only SUV (Escape) that comes close to being a car.
In the meantime, Ford Europe is killing one of Europe’s top selling cars, the Puma…
Farley and company are circling the drain while Asian companies are taking over the global markets with cars, trucks and SUVs…
Emphasis on CARS.
The scale and global footprint of FoMoCo will only protect it for so long.
With the management of the last ten years, it’s only so long before they only manufacture niche commercial vehicles.
AMEN!!!
A $15,000.00 Ford Capri GAS hot hatch would have been number 1 seller in the world!!
Stupid people in charge!
Pay attention Louisville Assembly team members and UAW leadership – this is where you’re headed after the planned EV conversion.
I note Kia and Hyundai can build EVs and hybrids in the same plant.
Most people don’t want EV’S!
They can’t keep the gas cars running, and they have been making gas engines for over a hundred years!
We don’t need all this high tech crap that just run’s up the price.
84 and 96 months car lone!
They have lost there F***ing minds!!
Everyday people want an affordable, reliable, car, that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!!
Go woke, go broke…