FoMoCo chairman says the transition to EVs will be led by consumers, but also claimed different viewpoints about electric cars from Democrats and Republicans makes it hard for automakers to plan ahead
April 18, 2024 at 08:01
- Bill Ford says switch to EVs will be led by consumer demand.
- Ford chairman claims he’s not trying to force anyone into buying an electric car.
- Potential changeover at the White House means uncertainty for automakers.
Those damn automakers, why can’t they stop trying to force us into these stupid electric cars and go back to selling gas-powered cars people really want to buy? If that’s your viewpoint – and you wouldn’t be alone – Ford chairman Bill Ford wants you to know that he’s not trying to make anyone swap ICE for EV.
The great-grandson of Ford founder Henry Ford told reporters that the switchover to electric power will happen gradually, and it’s consumers that are in the driving seat.
Related: 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Charges Faster, Has More Range And Packs More Power
“We’re not shoving anything down anybody’s throat,” Reuters reports the 66-year-old exec saying.
Ford’s claim is backed by his company’s product releases this month. So far in April we’ve learned about useful model-year upgrades to the electric Mustang Mach-E for 2024 as well as a 60th Anniversary package for the ‘real’ Mustang that’s only available on V8-powered versions of the pony car.
Unlike some rivals, Ford has wisely not committed to a wholesale switch to electric power, at least not yet. EV sales haven’t grown as fast as the industry had predicted they would a few years ago, and instead buyers are turning on to hybrids. Fortunately, Ford also invested in that tech, putting in a strong position to ride the waves of uncertainty until the market is ready to move to EVs.
Exactly when that happens depends in part on who is living in the White House, and Ford says the potential change of Administration that the coming election could deliver results in uncertainty for automakers.
“Our planning timeframe is a lot longer than election cycles,” Reuters reports Ford telling journalists in Detroit.
“We can do almost anything as a company, and frankly as an industry, as long as we have some certainty towards where we’re headed. The problem is when we’re whipsawed back and forth by politicians. We can’t turn on a dime. Just pick a path and we’ll go for it.”
