Ford has confirmed it will cut at least 3,800 jobs in Europe, even as the U.S. automaker restructures electric vehicles (EVs). That means one in nine jobs will be lost, with most of the layoff notices handed out at plants in Cologne and Aachen, Germany.
While factories in Germany will be hit the hardest by the job cuts, UK facilities – mostly at the research center in Dunton – will also be hit. Ford said the job cuts were necessary due to a shift to electric vehicles that require less human labor. Martin Sander, general manager of Ford’s Model e in Europe, told Reuters: “There is significantly less work to be done in the drivetrain shift from the combustion engine. We are moving into a world with fewer global platforms and less engineering work is necessary. That’s why we had to adjust.”
The figure of 3,800 is still very large, larger than many unions had previously predicted. However, Ford is determined to play the EV game with intent and has announced plans to build an all-electric fleet in Europe by 2035. It’s a mammoth $50 billion exercise, and it’s going to be more expensive to produce because it costs more to build an electric car than a “conventional” car. Later this year, the company will launch its first electric car in Europe, an electric car based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, which will roll out of its Cologne factory.
First published date: Feb 14, 2023 at 17:20 PM UST
https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto/electric-vehicles/ford-to-cut-thousands-of-jobs-in-europe-amidst-ev-restructuring-41676374420404.html