Ford's electric car strategy for Europe
Simultaneously with the development towards a fully electric vehicle portfolio, the car manufacturer, Ford wants to reposition itself in Europe and all upcoming products should reflect this impressively.
At the beginning of December, Weingärtner said at a multi-day media event in Kitzbühel (Austria): "We at Ford in Europe rely on values such as freedom and adventure as well as highly emotional, iconic vehicles such as the Mustang, the Ranger or the Bronco. We want to give our customers a feeling of freedom and life that can be experienced on a small and large scale 'on the road'. We deliver what only Ford can deliver: authentic and credible products”.
As part of the "Adventurous Spirit" event, Ford used the new Ranger Raptor, the North American version of the new Ford Bronco and the North American, all-electric F-150 Lightning to show journalists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland how the company is doing in want to reposition Europe in the future. The new generation of the Ranger Raptor - the top model of Europe's most successful pick-up - is about to be delivered to the first customers. The Ford Bronco is expected to be available to order in Germany from mid-2023.
However, the fully electric F-150 Lightning will not be offered in Europe until further notice, especially since features such as the charging connection, the voltage and various technology modules would have to be adapted to European conditions. However, according to the company, the F-150 Lightning underlines that Ford is going "all in" when it comes to electric mobility and that fully electric vehicles can also authentically embody the company's new "Adventurous Spirit" brand positioning.
According to Weingärtner, Ford is a rather small supplier in Europe in the passenger car sector, measured by the number of units. “We will therefore rethink our European passenger car business and appear much more pointed in the future. We're going to be a lot more exciting and emotional, and we're going to focus on products that only Ford can do." Ford has been producing in Germany since 1925, and meanwhile more than 47 million vehicles have rolled off the assembly lines in Germany. “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 you think of America, you think positively of the "adventurous spirit", i.e. of freedom, adventure, and outdoors. "That's why we want to position ourselves with exactly those products that evoke positive emotions and that aren't just any more or less arbitrarily interchangeable everyday cars."
In the light commercial vehicle business, on the other hand, the situation is very different, said Weingärtner. Here Ford is a strong volume brand in Europe. In Germany Ford is third, but in Europe, as a whole Ford is number one in all three main segments: in the payload segment up to one tonne, up to two tonnes and in the pick-up segment. The Ford manager: “We have almost doubled our market share in Europe over the last ten years with the Courier, Connect, Custom, Transit and Ranger series. The Ranger alone has a market share of almost 50 per cent in Europe, making it the market leader in its pick-up segment. In the US too, we've been number 1 by far for 40 years, just think of the iconic F-Series". Weingärtner said he was confident that Ford Pro would be able to offer the right products, services and services to further expand Ford's commercial vehicle market share.
Ford is committed to electromobility
"Ford's future is electric," Weingärtner said. The company will vigorously promote the electrification of its product range. "We're going 'all in' when it comes to electromobility," says Weingärtner. This is a great opportunity for Ford: "We are using electrification to differentiate ourselves more from the competition with future products."