New Delhi, 19th June 2023: Ford Motor Company CEO Bill Ford stated that the United States is not yet able to compete with China in the production of electric automobiles.
Ford in conversation with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS’ Sunday program, said, “They developed very quickly, and they developed them in large scale. And now they’re exporting them. They’re not here but they’ll come here we think, at some point, we need to be ready, and we’re getting ready.”
In February, the automaker announced plans to invest $3.5 billion in Michigan to build an electric vehicle battery plant using technology from Chinese battery company CATL, attracting the attention of US Senator Marco Rubio, who asked the Biden administration to look into the deal.
In the programme, Bill Ford, the great-grandson of firm founder Henry Ford, stated that the Michigan battery plant offers an opportunity for Ford engineers to understand the technology and ultimately apply it themselves.
He also said, “It (Michigan) is a wholly owned Ford facility. They’ll be our employees, and all we’re doing is licensing the technology. That’s it.”
In May, Ford CEO Jim Farley stated that Chinese electric vehicle makers are the company’s major competitors in the area, and that Ford requires distinctive branding or cheaper costs to compete with Chinese automakers.
The CEO was also quoted saying, “I think we see the Chinese as the main competitor, not GM or Toyota. The Chinese are going to be the powerhouse.”
