Ford will reduce shifts at the Cologne factory due to low demand for electric vehicles

“Significantly lower than expected demand for electric vehicles, particularly in Germany, requires a temporary adjustment to production volumes,” a Ford spokeswoman explained.

According to the agency, the automaker intends to take advantage of the state Kurzarbeit program, which allows employees to reduce their employment without laying them off. As compensation, the government pays employees 60% of their salary for hours they did not actually work.

Ford plans to use reduced shifts for three weeks. In an internal letter seen by local newspaper Stadt-Anzeiger, the management noted that the company produces more cars “than we can sell.” At the Cologne plant, Ford produces in particular the electric models Explorer and Capri.

Ford, like other representatives of the automotive industry, has faced falling sales in Europe. Consumers are in no hurry to switch to electric vehicles and the end of government support in Germany has created difficulties for car companies, notes DPA.

In recent years, the company has already eliminated thousands of jobs at its Cologne headquarters. In 2018, around 20,000 Ford employees worked in the city; in the summer of 2024, only 13 thousand remained, the agency writes.