Ford wants to ignite "Adventurous spirit" and drive electrically by 2030

According to Christian Weingärtner, Managing Director for Ford Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as well as Managing Director of Marketing and Sales at Ford-Werke GmbH, Ford is currently undergoing the largest transformation in its nearly 120-year history. At the same time as developing a fully electric vehicle portfolio, the brand will be newly and clearly positioned, and all upcoming products will impressively reflect this, argues Weingärtner. The key term for him is “Adventurous Spirit.”

“At Ford in Europe, we rely on values such as freedom and adventure, as well as highly emotional, iconic vehicles like the Mustang, the Ranger, and the Bronco. We want to convey to our customers a sense of freedom and lifestyle that can be experienced 'on the road', both on a small and large scale. We deliver what only Ford can deliver: authentic and credible products,” Weingärtner promoted last week during a multi-day media event in Kitzbühel (Austria), which was themed the same.

During the event, Ford illustrated with examples such as the new Ranger Raptor, the North American version of the new Ford Bronco, and the North American all-electric F-150 Lightning, how the company plans to reposition itself in Europe. The new generation of the Ranger Raptor, the ultimate top model of Europe’s most successful pick-up, will be delivered to the first customers in these days. The Ford Bronco is expected to be available for order in Germany from mid-2023. However, the all-electric F-150 Lightning will not be offered in Europe for the time being, as features such as the charging connection, power voltage, and various technical modules need to be adjusted to European conditions. Nevertheless, the F-150 Lightning underscores that Ford is going “all in” on electromobility and that fully electric vehicles can authentically embody the company’s new “Adventurous Spirit” brand positioning. Ford is a relatively smaller provider in the car sector in Europe, measured by volume, according to Weingärtner.

“Therefore, we will rethink our European car business and appear significantly more pointed in the future. We will become much more exciting and emotional, focusing on products that only Ford can produce,” explained Weingärtner.

Ford has been manufacturing in Germany since 1925, with over 47 million vehicles having rolled off the production lines domestically. “So, we have a long and successful tradition in Germany. However, our roots are clearly in the USA, and today we are the largest remaining American manufacturer on European soil.” When thinking of America, one thinks positively of the “Adventurous Spirit,” meaning freedom, adventure, and the outdoors. “Therefore, we want to position ourselves precisely with products that evoke positive emotions and are not more or less interchangeably common cars,” Weingärtner further outlined.

Light commercial vehicles: Different scenario

However, the situation is entirely different in the light commercial vehicle business, said Weingärtner. Here, Ford is a strong volume brand in Europe. In Germany, Ford ranks third, but overall in Europe, Ford is number one in all three main segments: the payload segment up to one ton, the payload segment up to two tons, and the pick-up segment.

“In Europe, we have almost doubled our market share with the Courier, Connect, Custom, Transit, and Ranger series over the past ten years. The Ranger alone holds nearly 50 percent market share in Europe and is thus the market leader in its pick-up segment. Also, in the USA, we have been the clear number one for 40 years – think of the iconic F-Series,” Weingärtner promoted.

He expressed confidence in further expanding Ford’s market share in the commercial vehicle business, stating that Ford Pro allows them to offer the right products, services, and solutions.

Ford commits clearly to electromobility

“The future of Ford is electric,” emphasized Weingärtner. The company will push forward the electrification of its product range with full force. This is a significant opportunity for Ford. “We are using electrification to differentiate ourselves more strongly from the competition with future products,” said the Ford manager. According to Weingärtner, the manufacturer will launch three new all-electric car models and four new all-electric commercial vehicle models in Europe by 2024. Two of these three new car models – a mid-sized, five-seat crossover and a sport crossover – will roll off the production lines starting in 2023 and 2024, respectively, at the Cologne Electrification Center (CEC), which is currently being built at the Cologne-Niehl site. The third model is an all-electric version of the Ford Puma, which will be built from 2024 at the Craiova plant in Romania. These new, fully electric models will visibly embody the new brand direction.

“These are incredibly exciting products that perfectly fit our new brand orientation,” said Weingärtner.

Starting in 2026, Ford will offer at least one plug-in hybrid or all-electric model in every car series. Similarly, starting in 2026, Ford aims to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles – cars and commercial vehicles – annually in Europe. From 2030, Ford’s car lineup in Europe will consist solely of fully electric vehicles. The electrification goals for the commercial vehicle sector are similarly ambitious. By 2024, according to Weingärtner, all Ford commercial vehicles in Europe will be offered either as fully electric versions or as plug-in hybrids. By 2030, electrified variants are expected to account for two-thirds of Ford's commercial vehicle sales.

Globally, around 600,000 electric vehicles are expected to have been produced by the end of 2023:

• 270,000 Mustang Mach-E for North America, Europe, and China
• 150,000 Ford F-150 Lightning for North America
• 150,000 E-Transit commercial vehicles for North America and Europe
• 30,000 units of a completely new, all-electric crossover for Europe, with production rates set to increase further in 2024

To achieve these ambitious goals, Weingärtner said at Kitzbühel, the Ford Motor Company is investing over 50 billion US dollars in electric vehicles by 2026. Ford expects an average annual growth rate of more than 90 percent for its electric vehicles by 2026 – more than twice as much as global industry forecasts predicted. By 2030, more than half of Ford's global production will consist of electric vehicles. For comparison, last year Ford sold 27,140 electric cars in the USA.