Ford reverses course and cancels all its electric models
The Blue Oval brand will stop manufacturing the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck and cancels its program of new electric models in the United States.
Ford has announced it will cease production of fully electric vehicles after observing the current low demand in the US and European markets and the limited commercial potential of electric vehicles. In fact, the Blue Oval brand has also announced it will discontinue its electric pickup truck. F-150 Lightning, a model that aimed to mark a turning point in the future of mobility in the United States, where pickup trucks pick up They are a symbol of cultural identity in the automotive market.
The American brand is also abandoning plans to market its first electric van in Europe, as well as all other new electric model projects planned through 2030. Ford's change in industrial strategy entails a financial cost of $19.5 billion, which will be charged to its results for the last quarter of 2010.
Ford's statement asserts that the company wants to focus its efforts on "higher-profit opportunities" due to "lower-than-expected" demand for electric vehicles. Ford's new roadmap now aims to have 50% of its total vehicle production be hybrids by 2030, incorporating some form of electrification but without abandoning traditional combustion engines.
However, Ford assured that this business restructuring will have no consequences for the workforce, as it stated that the US plants where it manufactured electric models will be adapted to produce new hybrid and gasoline models.