The new electric Ford Explorer: The car manufactured in Cologne is the new hope for the US group, which finally wants to become permanently profitable in Europe.
(Photo: obs)
Dusseldorf With the car industry, one of the largest German industries is currently being completely converted to a completely new business model. This transformation is extremely expensive and consumes billions. And: The production and sale of electric cars are extremely loss-making, especially in the conversion phase. Everyone in the industry knows that, but the automakers don’t release exact numbers.
More transparency is absolutely necessary, especially from an investor’s point of view. The car manufacturers are all listed on the stock exchange. In order to be able to handle the massive transformation with electromobility and digitization at all, they are dependent on investors. Money is only available for trust, which comes with deeper insights into the electric vehicle business.
The US company Ford is now breaking the silence and publishing key figures for this area. This year there are still three billion dollars in losses. But in just three years, the Ford electronics division should yield a decent operating return of eight percent.
Ford ensures transparency
Ford shows that more transparency in the car business is possible without further ado. In this respect, Ford is a role model. Other manufacturers, above all the German ones, should also show clear return ratios for the electronics division.
Volkswagen, for example, argues that the car business will be completely electric in a few years. Therefore, it is not worthwhile to set up a separate accounting model for the electrical division for the transitional period.
>> Read here, what structure Ford will be in the future.
That’s an advanced argument. It will be more than ten years before the last combustion model rolls off the assembly line. Electric cars and combustion engines will continue to be produced in parallel for a long time – which makes separate accounting a worthwhile task.
Ford had initially overslept the entry into the new electronics business. But now the Americans have woken up. They have accepted the new challenges and are now among the protagonists when it comes to electromobility.
More: This SUV is intended to initiate Ford’s electric offensive – with the help of VW