The American automaker ford tries to avoid the impending CO2 penalties in Europe through an alliance with the Swedish competitor Volvo. The companies registered their alliance with the European Union on Thursday.
Ford will meet the stricter rules for CO2 emissions that have been in effect since this year together with Volvo, according to company circles. Manufacturers already form such an open pool as Ford and Volvo FCA Fiat Chrysler and Tesla. Volvo has significantly better CO2 values than Ford, so the Americans are likely to make a compensation payment for the alliance.
Ford had already confirmed two weeks ago that it would miss the CO2 targets in Europe without a partner. Technical problems with the successful plug-in hybrid version of the Ford SUV Kuga had thwarted the plans. After a fire, Ford had to recall around 20,000 Kuga and stop further production of the model. Without this electrified Kuga, the goals would no longer have been achievable. The penalties that threaten if the CO2 targets are not met can easily run into the hundreds of millions. In the industry, it was initially speculated that Ford would share a pool with the French automaker Renault form.
From 2020 onwards, the EU will require car manufacturers to ensure that their models do not emit more than 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer on average. The exact values for the manufacturers vary slightly, and there are still some reliefs for 2020. Even with the large German manufacturers, it is not yet certain whether they will meet the 2020 CO2 targets on their own. At Volkswagen It was said on Thursday that it would be a tough race to meet EU rules. The prognosis is difficult; “it will be close”. Daimler boss Ola Källenius told manager magazin in an interview, “with a very good fourth quarter we can still do it”.