Ford has become the latest car manufacturer to commit to an electric future, saying that every model in its European line-up will be available as either a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or electric vehicle (EV) by the middle of 2026.
The motor giant also said its commercial models will be 100% zero-emissions capable, either all-electric or plug-in hybrid, by 2024. The move comes after Ford reported a return to profit in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2020.
With the UK government pledging to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, Ford has also committed $1 billion (£719.4 million) to the renovation of its European headquarters in Cologne, Germany.
This investment will result in the existing assembly plant – which currently makes the Fiesta – transformed into the Ford Cologne Electrification Centre, which will produce the company’s “first European-built, volume, all-electric passenger vehicle for European customers” in 2023.
Ford claims the potential to add a second model to the production line at the facility is actively being considered.
Says Ford of Europe president Stuart Rowley:
“We successfully restructured Ford of Europe and returned to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2020.
“Now we are charging into an all-electric future in Europe with expressive new vehicles and a world-class connected customer experience.”
The move follows Jaguar’s announcement earlier in the week that it will re-invent itself to become an “all-electric luxury brand” by 2025 and a net-zero business by 2029. It has confirmed all Jaguar and Land Rover models will be available in pure electric ranges by the end of the decade. The first all-electric Land Rover will hit forecourts in 2024 with a further six pure electric cars set to become available over the next five years.
In November, luxury car brand Bentley Motors, owned by Germany’s Volkswagen, said its model range will be fully electric by 2030. And last month, General Motors Co said it aimed to have a zero-emission line-up by 2035.
