zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Ford Has Seen GM's Giant Electric Car Gamble And Would Like To Offer A Raise
Ford Has Seen GM's Giant Electric Car Gamble And Would Like To Offer A Raise-June 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:28

Image for article titled Ford Has Seen GM's Giant Electric Car Gamble And Would Like To Offer A Raise

GM has said that it over the next five years on electric autonomous car development, which sure sounded like a lot until today, when Ford said it would be investing $29 billion. That’s $2 billion more! Also Ford had its first full-year loss in more a decade.

The $29 billion will be invested in autonomous and electric car development through 2025, Ford said, though numbers from both Ford and GM aren’t much more than marketing at this point.

What will matter, instead, are the actual products. Tesla currently sells four all-electric cars that many people like very much; Ford currently sells one all-electric car that ; and GM currently sells one electric car in the U.S. that is the definition of “meh,” which .

In 2025, I’m not sure how that graf might read, though I think it’s safe to assume that GM and Ford will each have more than a single EV by then.

From :

CFO John Lawler said a “majority” of the $22 billion dedicated to electrified vehicles would be spent on battery-electric models, although he declined to say how many Ford planned to add to its lineup. He also declined to match GM’s stated ambition of going all-electric by 2035, noting Ford was focused on introducing upcoming models like the F-150 EV and E-Transit.

Lawler said the $7 billion commitment for autonomous vehicles would include spending on Ford-owned Argo AI as well as its planned 2022 launch of autonomous commercial services.

Ford attributed — $1.3 billion — to various one-time charges, including $2.5 billion to leave Brazil and over $600 million because of Takata airbag recalls. So you’d expect Ford to get back in the black next year, billions and billions spent on EVs or not. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.

In any case, I’m legitimately excited about the Ford E-Transit, , given its potential to replace last-mile delivery trucks in a world ever so dependent on home delivery. And I’m at least F-150-EV-curious, though for other reasons I don’t think that will be as successful, because truck owners are a stubborn and loyal species.

Everyone seems to like the Mach-E as well, which is a good start for Ford, but this really won’t be all that meaningful until the Blue Oval goes after the core of its lineup: Explorers and Escapes and Edges. And the hybrids, for the purposes of this conversation, don’t count. That’s because what was so striking about GM’s announcement was not the price tagbut the aspiration to go 100 percent all-electric by 2035. This thing that General Motors has done for more than a century — building internal combustion engine cars and selling them — it now plans to quit doing altogether. It was as if Budweiser had announced that it was pivoting from beer to cannabis.

Ford’s ambitions are currently something short of that, but whenever — if they ever — say something similar you’ll know that they really are serious.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
This Startup's Electric Van Is A Packaging Triumph
This Startup's Electric Van Is A Packaging Triumph
One of the biggest advantages of electric vehicles is that they can potentially have far more packaging flexibility than combustion-engine cars. Companies have been taking advantage of this, as you can see in Tesla’s twin-trunk designs and Volkswagen’s volume-maximizing reborn electric Microbus. is taking a similar approach as VW,...
Jun 26, 2026
It Has Come To My Attention That The Alfa Romeo 4C, A Good Car, Is Still For Sale
It Has Come To My Attention That The Alfa Romeo 4C, A Good Car, Is Still For Sale
There I was, as I usually find myself on Wednesday afternoons, conscious in a coffin buried six feet under the ground with only a flashlight and my bare hands to get myself out. As I finally clawed my face free, I glimpsed around the dark cemetery to realize that...
Jun 26, 2026
Au Revoir, Assholes, I Am Escaping To The French Countryside Forever In My Peugeot Boxer 4X4 Concept
Au Revoir, Assholes, I Am Escaping To The French Countryside Forever In My Peugeot Boxer 4X4 Concept
I have grown weary of life in the big city. The stress, the noise, the trash smells, the 19-year-olds in Brooklyn who ironically wear t-shirts featuring bands that were popular when I was 19—all of it has struck me with an unbearable case of l’ennui. Thus, now seems as...
Jun 26, 2026
Watch All Of The Beautiful Bits Of This Rimac C Two Fly Apart During Crash Tests
Watch All Of The Beautiful Bits Of This Rimac C Two Fly Apart During Crash Tests
Crash testing is a pretty significant part of car development—if your car can’t handle a big impact, then it probably shouldn’t be on the road. We’ve talked about how a smaller automaker like its hypercars before. Now, we’re diving into it a little deeper with a video that shows a...
Jun 26, 2026
Will A 542-HP AMG Engine Make You Feel Better About The Aston Martin DBX?
Will A 542-HP AMG Engine Make You Feel Better About The Aston Martin DBX?
Judging by the lackluster response from you all regarding the , Aston’s upcoming SUV, it doesn’t appear to be a particularly Internet Car™. But what if I told you it was just confirmed to have a 542-horsepower V8? Would you care then? Today, Aston Martin announced, via a ,...
Jun 26, 2026
Need For Speed In Real Life Part Two: More Cars, More Racing
Need For Speed In Real Life Part Two: More Cars, More Racing
A few months ago, I lost my mind over a very fun, video. It was only a minute long, but the joy sustained me for quite a while. Now, Part Two is out and it’s nearly five minutes long! You guys. is back again with a second upload, this...
Jun 26, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved