Ford certainly didn’t operate very well with its model policy in Europe. Because it was costly to offer a car in every market segment, the group went to the opposite extreme: When production of the Focus model built in Saarlouis stops next year, five car models will still be offered in Europe, including a less competitive niche model from the USA. Important segments such as compact SUVs remain unoccupied. Two electric mid-range cars come from Cologne, the SUV Explorer and the crossover Capri. They are on the Volkswagen Group’s electric platform, but have impressed car testers in the trade press more than Volkswagen’s competing products. But Ford can’t do anything about it because the brand and communication are too weak. The weak demand for electric cars is not solely the fault of Ford managers. The decision to move towards electric cars was the right one because the electric drive is more efficient. But the road in this direction has become very bumpy, and the responsibility for this lies in Berlin and Brussels – for the lack of charging stations, high electricity prices and the poor car economy. Now there is a threat of new harm from the reduction in CO2 emissions for the new car fleet that is required for 2025. If demand for electric cars is low, Ford can avoid fines by ending combustion engine production in Saarlouis early. The politicians set symbolic goals on paper and then left the manufacturers alone. Sitting it out can’t help.
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