Ford blamed slowing demand for electric vehicles after announcing plans to slash another 1,000 jobs at its Cologne EV plant in Germany.
Ford cuts jobs in Germany over weak demand for EVs
In a press release on Thursday, Ford announced plans to cut another 1,000 jobs at its plant in Cologne, Germany.
“In Europe, demand for electric cars remains well below industry forecasts,” the company said. Ford is blaming weak demand for EVs, saying it will move from a two-shift operation to a single-shift operation, starting in January.
The proposed plans from last year include cutting about 4,000 jobs in Europe by the end of 2027, or about 14% of its European workforce. The job cuts will be primarily in Germany and the UK as part of a broader restructuring. Tuesday’s announcement will raise it by another 1,000.
Earlier this year, Ford faced a historic worker strike in Cologne that disrupted production. The news announced on Tuesday will likely affect vehicle production again.
Top comment by Vanessa
The real problems are that Europeans don’t want 1) American brand cars 2) Ford’s unimpressive rebadges. Also 3) vastly overpaid executives resent having to negotiate with unions and being forced to compensate workers fairly. Thanks for pointing out that other car makers and EVs in general are selling quite well in Europe.
Ford currently builds electric vehicles, including the Explorer and Capri, in Cologne, but it’s facing new competition from BYD and other low-cost EV makers from China.
Although Ford is blaming weaker-than-expected demand for EVs, according to the latest data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), 1,011,903 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered in the EU in the first seven months of 2025, led by increases in Spain (94.5%), Germany (59,2%), and Italy (60.3%).
If you look at the most recent registration data from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), Ford registered 10,924 BEVs in Germany through August, or less than 15% of the nearly 74,000 vehicles it sold.
The shortcomings come despite Ford investing nearly €2 billion ($2.4 billion) to upgrade the facility to produce electric vehicles. Ford also offers the Puma Gen-E, the electric version of its best-selling vehicle in Europe. It was the first EV to qualify for the full £3,750 ($5,000) discount from the UK’s recently launched Electric Car Grant program.
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