Chancellor Scholz concerned: Ford works council demands rescue for electric cars!

Chancellor Scholz concerned: Ford works council demands rescue for electric cars!

In Cologne, a new Ford plant for electric vehicles was ceremoniously opened on Monday, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also present. This investment of around two billion euros is intended to be a key role in the future of Ford in Europe, since the company plans to produce 1.2 million electric vehicles within six years. The production capacity is created on 250,000 vehicles per year. However, this opening takes place in a context that is characterized by frustration and uncertainties, since the sales of electric cars in Germany decreased sharply after state purchase bonuses were abolished at the end of 2023, such as T-Online reported .

urgent appeal to politics

The Ford works council now calls for a strong signal for electromobility from politics in the form of a new purchase bonus so that the weakening demand is boosted again. Benjamin Gruschka, the chairman of the general works council, demanded that Olaf Scholz had to do everything in his power to support the transformation to electromobility. This is done against the background of announced job reduction plans, which Ford announced, since around 25 percent of the total of 12,000 jobs in Cologne are to be dropped by 2027. This also affects the relocation of parts of the development department to the USA, which reduces the importance of Cologne's headquarters, such as Tag24 reported .

The situation is explosive for Ford, since the group has only released electromobility and intensive measures for market adjustment are necessary. Scholz ’Visit is controlled as a solidarity gest to encourage employees and secure the future orientation of the company. The state visit and the associated speech before thousands of Ford members should specify a clear course in the direction of sustainable electric automobile production.