The US car manufacturer Ford wants to turn around its loss-making electric car business and is accepting a huge write-off to do so.
December 16, 2025, 04:20December 16, 2025, 04:20
It is expected to reach 19.5 billion dollars (15.5 billion Swiss francs), mostly in the current quarter. The all-electric version of the large F-150 pickup truck is being discontinued. In the future, Ford wants to focus more on hybrid vehicles – and smaller models of electric cars.
After the success of Tesla, the major US car manufacturers General Motors, Ford and Stellantis invested billions to bring more electric cars into their model ranges. They also decided to electrify the pickup trucks that are popular in the USA. The F-150 is one of the best-selling models on the US car market. But the electric pickups – whether from Ford or Tesla’s Cybertruck – did not sell in the hoped-for numbers.
The electric version of the F-150 simply doesn’t sell in the US.Image: keystone
Trump let the electric car subsidy expire
The abolition of the $7,500 electric car bonus by US President Donald Trump put another damper on the market. Most recently, electric cars had a five percent share of Ford’s business, said Ford boss Jim Farley on the business broadcaster CNBC. Before the subsidies expired at the end of September it was twelve percent.
Ford made billions in losses quarter after quarter in its electric car business – which were offset by combustion engines and commercial vehicles. With a new vehicle platform, Ford wants to build cheaper electric cars starting next year, starting at $30,000. The conversion to vehicles with hybrid drives will create thousands of new jobs in the USA, said Ford boss Farley. (sda/dpa)