Car manufacturer Ford has revealed it will be delaying the rollout of its electric vehicle, instead focusing on hybrid models as it falls behind China in the EV race.
The US car brand stated it will continue to invest in EVs but will be pushing back its timeline of new models which was set to launch this year.
Ford explained it will be delaying the EV models until 2027, instead of 2025 as was originally promised.
Despite slowing down on EVs, Ford said it still hopes to offer hybrid powertrains across its entire Ford lineup in North America.
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The Ford model E was expected to arrive in 2026 with a price estimated at around $25,000
FORDIn the first quarter of 2024, Ford saw electric vehicle sales increase by 86 per cent while hybrid sales rose 42 per cent showing driver interest in the models.
However, as the car brand sees increasing pressure from China, which is currently dominating the EV market, Ford has had to rethink its plans.
Jim Farley, president and CEO at Ford, said: “For the past two years, we are committed to scaling a profitable EV business, using capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid and fully electric vehicles at the right time.
“Our breakthrough, next-generation EVs will be new from the ground up and fully software enabled, with ever-improving digital experiences and a multitude of potential services.”
Farley added: “We value our Canadian teammates and appreciate that this delay will have an impact on this excellent team.
“We are fully committed to manufacturing in Canada and believe this decision will help us build a profitably growing business for the long term.”
Bev Goodman, president and CEO at Ford Canada, which is where the manufacturing plant is, explained that while this change requires a revision to the timeline, it will support a viable and growing future for the company, employees and dealers.
Ford has previously teased a new electric car which would compete against Tesla, both in quality and price.
The vehicle which was expected to launch in 2026 would have benefited from a lithium-iron-phosphate battery and would reportedly be around 30 per cent cheaper than a Tesla.
The Ford model was estimated to be priced around $25,000 (£19,680), a person working on the project stated to Bloomberg.
The race to electrification was primarily sparked by the UK announcing ambitious targets to get 80 per cent of new cars and 70 per cent of new vans sold to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100 per cent by 2035.
For manufacturers selling in the UK, if they aren't able to meet these quotas they could face a fine of £15,000 per car sold that isn't compliant.
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Ford saw electric vehicle sales increased by 86 per cent
PABut despite the push, car manufacturers are struggling to keep up with China’s unbeatable low prices.
Most recently Tesla was reportedly scrapping its cheaper EV and instead choosing to focus on its robotaxi, self-driving car scheme.