Ford Wants To Trade Jobs For Lower Emissions Targets

2016 Ford Focus Electric (Credit: Ford)

Ford’s looking to wheel and deal with Trump, and it’s using American jobs as a bargaining chip. At least, a recent Bloomberg report seems to indicate that’s that plan. Mark Fields, Ford’s CEO, said in an interview that if the new administration goes for policies the Blue Oval likes, it can work on not shipping jobs south of the border.

What Ford really wants is the current vehicle emissions targets to be lowered. Among the arguments Fields put out there is that nobody really wants electrified vehicles, like EVs and hybrids. Someone should tell all those people who reserved Tesla Model 3s they were brainwashed into wanting one.

All joking aside, this is actually a shocking turn of events. Ford’s seemingly feigned enthusiasm for alternative fuel tech in the past, including electrification. Now it seems pushing EVs and hybrids was just a big farce, something the company did because it was cool or popular.

Or is it surprising? After all, the Focus Electric is obviously just a compliance car. Ford hasn’t tried to push it into markets where there isn’t a government incentive.

Fields says he wants market demand, not government mandates, to push vehicle electrification forward. Considering reports that GM is losing big money on each Bolt and how Tesla keeps bleeding cash, maybe that’s wise.