Heavy trucks and buses are also not included in the legislation. They will, however, be subject to a different set of rules that will scale the reduction of carbon emissions over time, but without any outright bans on fossil fuels.
A majority of the job cuts announced by Ford on Tuesday, 2,300 positions, will be at the company’s plants in the western German cities of Aachen and Cologne, the company said, with another 1,300 in Britain. Hardest hit will be workers in product development, as the company is driven by the shift to “all-electric powertrains and reduced vehicle complexity,” it said.
Other cuts will be in its administration, marketing and sales divisions in Europe, it said. Ford employs some 34,000 people across Europe.
More than half of Ford’s employees in Europe are in Germany. Although following the layoffs, that number is expected to shrink by nearly a third over the coming years, as the company reorganizes its production to focus on electric vehicles, many of which will be manufactured in Spain.
“The path to a sustainable profitable future for Ford in Europe requires broad-based actions and changes in the way we design, build and sell Ford vehicles,” said Martin Sander, the manager of Ford’s electric-car division in Europe. “This has implications for the capabilities and organizational structure we will need in the future.”
Last year, Ford decided to end production of its Fiesta model by 2025 at its plant in the southwestern German city of Saarlouis, where some 4,600 people are employed. The company chose its factory in Valencia, Spain, over the German plant to produce two electric models that it will sell in Europe. It is working with employee representatives and local politicians to find a buyer for the plant and has held talks with other automakers and energy companies in an effort to retain some of the jobs in the region.
