During a visit to Ford's factory in Cologne this week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz demanded that all Europeans provide emergency assistance for the electric car.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for all European countries to immediately contribute emergency aid to electric cars.
According to Scholz, a coordinated effort across Europe is necessary to support the pressured car industry and secure jobs.
The car industry in Germany, which is one of the country's most important sectors, is currently experiencing major challenges. Over 10,000 jobs are at risk, and the situation has already had serious consequences for individual companies.
Among other things, Ford has announced plans to cut approximately 4,000 jobs in Europe by the end of 2027, which underlines the extent of the current crisis.
During a visit on Tuesday to Ford's factory in Cologne, Olaf Scholz expressed his concern and called for action. The visit took place after Ford's works council had called on politicians to give clear signals to strengthen the position of electric cars in Europe.
Scholz followed up on this call by pointing out the need for more comprehensive measures to support the transition to electric cars.
– In this connection, we need sales promotion measures that work across Europe, said the chancellor according to Handelsblatt .
Ford has already made the decision to stop production of several of their traditional models such as Mondeo and Fiesta. The Focus model is also expected to be phased out in the very foreseeable future. Specifically at the beginning of 2025.
The car brands' strategy has been to promote the transition to electric cars by first building the very expensive models. But it seems to have been difficult to convince many European drivers that electric cars have to be expensive.
The lack of support from consumers has intensified the crisis for the manufacturer and created a need for emergency aid, the German chancellor believes.
Olaf Scholz emphasized during his visit that unloading requires action from all EU countries. He highlighted the importance of a common European focus on support schemes and initiatives that can promote the sale of electric cars and facilitate the transition to a greener car industry.
Without such an effort, both jobs and Germany's role as a leading actor in the car industry risk coming under further pressure, it was said during the visit.
The factory that Scholz visited is, by the way, a very concrete example of a workplace in relation. Ford in the US has already shaved off most of its European management, and it has since emerged that the brand will embark on thousands of layoffs. Read more about it here .
