Ford's bold plan to go all-electric in Europe by 2030 could be derailed by weak demand for electric vehicles.
After setting out one of the most ambitious timetables for the transition to electric vehicles, which would exceed the European Union's 2035 zero-emissions mandate for passenger cars by five years, Ford now says it can continue to sell combustion engine cars in Europe beyond the end of the decade .
“If we see strong demand, for example, for plug-in hybrid vehicles, we will bring them to market.”– said Martin Sander, head of Ford's passenger car division in Europe.
He also acknowledged that current demand for electric vehicles is not meeting Ford's expectations and that the company has not met its goals.
That's bad news for Ford's top management, which has spent $2 billion turning its plant in Cologne, Germany, into an electric vehicle hub. The former Fiesta plant will begin production of the new Ford Explorer electric crossover this June, and Ford is expected to unveil a second electric vehicle built on the same VW MEB electric platform in the same month.