“We know we’re in a fight for our lives in our industry,” Ford (F) CEO Jim Farley told reporters in Paris Monday ahead of the announcement, when describing Ford’s response to the threat posed by cheaper Chinese competition. “There is no better example than here in Europe.”
Europe’s traditional automakers face an influx of Chinese rivals from BYD to Changan and Xpeng (XPEV). As part of the Ford-Renault partnership, the first of two planned small EVs – to be produced at a Renault plant in northern France – will reach European car showrooms in 2028. They will be smaller than any Ford plans for the US market and fill a gap in the automaker’s line-up, Farley said.
