According to foreign media reports, due to the slowdown in demand for electric vehicles in Europe, Ford Motor is planning to shorten the working hours of employees on the production line of its Cologne plant in Germany.
German media Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported that before this year’s Christmas holiday, employees at the Ford Cologne plant will implement a shift system of working one week and taking one week off.
An internal Ford memo to employees at its Cologne plant in Germany said: “We produce more cars than we can sell.
” A Ford spokesman told DPA: “German demand for electric vehicles is significantly lower than expected, so Ford needs to temporarily adjust electric vehicle production at German factories.
“, At the same time, DPA reported that Ford Motor has reduced the number of employees at its Cologne plant from 20,000 in 2018 to 13,000 currently.
Ford Motor also plans to reduce shifts at the plant in early 2025.
Workers at the factory are counting on the German government to introduce incentives to encourage consumers to buy electric vehicles.
, Ford Motor has been producing electric vehicles at its Cologne plant since production of its fuel-fueled Fiesta compact car was discontinued last July.
Ford Motor has invested $2 billion to renovate its Cologne plant to produce two Ford Explorer and Capri models.
In June this year, the Ford Explorer SUV began production at the factory, and in September this year, the factory began production of the Ford Capri crossover based on the Explorer.
Both models are produced based on Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform under the cooperation agreement between Ford Motor and Volkswagen Group.
2025 Explorer.
Photo source: Ford Motor, in addition, Ford Motor plans to stop producing Focus compact models at its Saarlouis plant in Germany next year and is seeking investors to take over the factory.
, Weak demand for electric vehicles in Europe is causing trouble for global automakers.
The reasons for the decline in demand for electric vehicles in Europe include high prices for electric vehicles, uncertainty about new car purchase subsidy policies, different opinions on the EU’s 2035 ban on internal combustion engine vehicles, insufficient number of electric vehicle charging stations and inflationary pressures.
Ford Motor has been hit harder than many competitors by sluggish demand in Europe because it offers fewer fuel-fueled models and cannot make up for the weakness in its electric-vehicle business.
The company has been scaling back its passenger car business in Europe to focus on higher-margin light commercial vans, dominated by Transit models.
, Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) shows that in the first nine months of this year, total new car sales in the European Union, the European Free Trade Association and the UK markets increased slightly by 1% year-on-year to 9,779,605 units, while Ford Motor’s passenger car sales fell 17.
9% year-on-year to 326,975 units, and the company’s market share also dropped to 3.
3% from 4.
1% in the same period last year.
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