Ford of Europe recently announced another important step towards an all-electric future, confirming that it has chosen its plant in Valencia, Spain, as the plant of choice for assembling vehicles based on Ford’s own next-generation electric vehicle architecture . Pending product approval, the Valencia plant will start producing innovative electric and connected vehicles later this decade.
Ford is also moving forward with a $2 billion investment from its Cologne, Germany, operations to start producing electric passenger vehicles from 2023. Ford’s European strategy includes an exciting range of electric vehicles, including a version Ford Puma, and extend its leadership in the commercial vehicle segment with Ford Pro electric vehicles and connected services. By 2026, Ford in Europe plans to sell 600,000 electric vehicles a year .
“We’re committed to building a vibrant and sustainable business in Europe as part of our Ford+ plan, and that requires focus and tough decisions,” said Jim Farley , Ford chairman and chief executive officer. “The European automotive industry is extremely competitive, and in order to prosper and grow we can never settle for less than amazingly good products, an exceptional customer experience, ultra-efficient operations and a talented and motivated team.”
Electric vehicle sales across the continent continue to grow rapidly (up 65% to 2.3 million in 2021) and the European Parliament voted earlier this month to set new CO2 targets for light duty vehicles, including a requirement to that new sales are 100% zero emission vehicles by 2035 .
“We are accelerating our transformation in Europe, reinventing the way we do business and building a future where amazing vehicles and relentless focus on the customer experience go hand in hand with protecting our planet.” , Stuart Rowley , president of Ford Europe and director of Transformation and Quality at Ford Motor Company.
Bringing our all-new electric vehicle architecture to Valencia will help us build a profitable business in Europe, secure high-value jobs and increase Ford’s offering of premium, high-performance, fully connected electric vehicles that meet demand from our European customers. .
Ford also reiterated its commitment to Germany as the headquarters of its European Model e business and the location of its first European production of electric vehicles. The state-of-the-art Cologne Electrification Center will start production in late 2023. “Ford is investing heavily in electric vehicle manufacturing operations in Germany and we are committed to the country as our European headquarters,” said Rowley. “We look forward to advancing this work with our partners in Germany and across the region. To secure new products in Europe, we need winning product designs, outstanding technology and engineering, optimized production localization and an evolution of our industrial operations to ensure that are fully geared towards an electrified world.
Furthermore, the next-generation architecture is a critical step in Ford’s transformation in Europe to achieve an all-electric future and build a prosperous business while making a positive contribution to society and reducing emissions in line with the Climate Agreement. Paris. Ford’s plans for an all-electric future in Europe support a global target of more than 2 million annual electric vehicle production by 2026 and a company adjusted EBIT margin of 10% by 2026.
