Ford CEO Jim Farley emphasizes the company's focus on creating iconic vehicles, and Europe is set to receive five new models by 2029. Since Farley's statement in 2024, the company has bid farewell to the Focus, which joined the Fiesta and Mondeo in the Blue Oval's graveyard. However, the future looks promising, with a new small electric hatchback and a "dynamic, fully electric small SUV" in the works.
A region-specific Bronco variant is set to enter production in 2028 at the Valencia plant in Spain, featuring a multi-energy setup, including combustion engines and electric drivetrains. The new models will be designed with "distinctive driving dynamics" and will retain Ford of Europe's "swagger." The company promises that none of the upcoming models will be dull to drive, with Ford's European boss, Jim Baumbick, pledging to infuse excitement into these vehicles, saying they won't be "toasters on wheels."
View Price on AmazonFord's focus on electrified products means that true successors to the old-guard models are not planned. While that may come as a disappointment, it's unrealistic to expect any carmaker to develop new pure combustion-engine cars for Europe anymore. Ever-tightening emissions regulations are forcing all companies to go hybrid and electric. Ford is calling for more relaxed legislation, but the European Union has already loosened the regulatory framework for 2035 by dropping the outright ban on new ICE car sales.
Whether the EU is willing to make further concessions remains unclear, and in the meantime, carmakers must slash CO2 emissions by 90 percent from 2021 levels by 2035. While that does leave the door open for some ICE cars to survive past the middle of the next decade, almost everything will be either a plug-in hybrid or a pure EV by then. Ford of Europe plans to make a comeback with its new lineup, which will deliver multi-energy vehicles where thrill and adventure coexist with control and precision — built to handle the unique challenges of Europe's alpine passes, cobblestoned streets, and winding roads.
Source: motor1.com
