Ford could continue to sell cars with traditional engines

The initial plan was to sell only EVs from 2030, but now Ford is reportedly thinking of revising the strategy

By: Massimo Grassi

May 10, 2024 at 3:06am ET

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"If we see a strong demand, for example for plug-in hybrid vehicles, we will offer them". With these words Martin Sander, head of Ford Europe's passenger car division, anticipated what could be one of the most important changes to the company's initial plan to sell only electric cars from 2030 onwards in the Old Continent.

A statement made during the Financial Times' Future of the Car and reported by Automotive News, which once again tells of the difficulties that carmakers are encountering in the energy transition, with changes of course from what was announced only a few years ago.

The demand problem

Sander pointed out that sales of electric cars in Europe have been lower than expected, which has not allowed the company to reach the targets it had set itself. "We just have to get to 100 per cent electric powertrains," said the manager, emphasising that Ford still believes in electric vehicles, and has simply moved the final goodbye to petrol and diesel engines further down the road.

Ford Explorer 2024

Also because the Blue Oval is finally launching the new Explorer - scheduled for June - the same month in which a second electric SUV will be unveiled. Both models will be assembled at the German plant in Cologne and will use Volkswagen's MEB platform. On the other hand, the electric Ford Puma, announced a few months ago, will be produced at the Craiova factory in Romania - alongside the traditional version.

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Meanwhile, there has been a farewell to the Fiesta, one of Ford's best-selling models, and the Focus is set to follow it from 2025. And neither will have a direct heir.

Ford Puma 2024

As mentioned, however, there will no longer be a race towards all-electricity: the company is reportedly considering producing a 'multi-energy' SUV at its Valencia (Spain) plant, where the Ford Kuga is currently assembled. The specifications of the model are not yet available, but we can just imagine that it will be able to use different types of powertrains, from purely thermal to 100 per cent electric, passing through various degrees of electrification.