Here’s what Ford CEO Jim Farley said during the company’s Q3 2022 earnings call about whether the company’s electric vehicles would qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) full $7,500 tax credit.
Here’s how the IRA tax credit, which will run to 2032, will work for new EVs:
EVs that are purchased August 16, 2022 or later must have final assembly in North America to be eligible.
The credit is worth up to $7,500, and it consists of two requirements, each adding up to half of the credit.
To be eligible for the $3,750 battery portion of the credit in 2023, 50% of the vehicle’s battery must be assembled or manufactured within North America. The required percentage goes up by 10% every year until it reaches 100% in 2029.
The other $3,750 of the credit consists of the critical minerals requirement. A certain percentage of the battery’s critical minerals must be extracted or processed domestically or within a country with whom the US has a free-trade agreement. In 2023, that’s 40%, and then it peaks at 80% in 2027, where it stays until 2032.
Beginning in 2023, vans, SUVs, and pickup trucks must have an MSRP of $80,000 and under to qualify.
Sedans and passenger cars are capped at $55,000 in 2023.
Ford CEO Jim Farley noted in his opening statement that the company has already broken ground on its new BlueOval SK battery plants in Kentucky. Domestic battery assembly/manufacturing = check.
He also said that the company’s “team is making great progress in securing raw materials, importantly the processing of those raw materials and the battery capacity that we need.” (Farley didn’t elaborate further on that in the call, so TBD for critical minerals.)
In regard to the IRA proving beneficial to Ford itself on the battery production front, Farley said:
From ’23 to ’26, we estimate a combined available tax credit for Ford and our battery partners could total more than $7 billion with large step-up in annual credits in ’27 as our [joint venture] battery plants ramp up to full production.
He then made a second point about commercial EV tax credits for customers:
I haven’t actually read anyone in the media covering this, but it’s super important for Ford. And that’s the commercial EV credit. You know that Ford is the number one commercial vehicle brand in the US, and our commercial customers can now claim next year $7,500 per EV vehicle they buy with no restrictions on battery sourcing or manufacturing. Our preliminary estimate is that between 55% and 65% of all of our commercial vehicle customers will qualify.
Farley has a point about it being interesting from a business journalism standpoint. Tesla doesn’t make light and medium duty commercial EVs. Rivian makes them, but it will be busy supplying Amazon for a long time. So Ford is extremely well positioned to sell a lot of commercial EVs.
His third point was about retail sales:
Ford EVs and our PHEVs remain eligible for the $7,500 tax credit until guidance is issued at the end of this year. Next year, we believe we’ll meet the $3,750 critical minerals credit requirement on certain Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning models. In ’24, the rules will further restrict this critical materials credit. So, we believe it’s a fairly level playing field right now for all the OEMs as our supply chain of critical minerals extracted or processed in the US and FTA develops.
What’s intriguing is Farley’s reference to “certain models.” There are four F-150 Lightning models. The Pro starts at $51,974, and the Lariat starts at $74,474. (The Platinum costs more than the $80k cap.) There are likely pragmatic reasons for some models meeting the critical minerals credit requirement and others not meeting it, such as battery size. And, my colleague Jameson Dow asked partly tongue in cheek, “Will one model get its cobalt from the US and another from the DRC?”
The optics will matter to car buyers. Will Ford look as though it’s prioritizing the lower end, making the F-150 more affordable to the general public, or will the company look as though it’s trying to move more expensive models off the lot by dangling the tax credit carrot to high net worth individuals?
We’ve reached out to Ford about this and will update if we hear back.
We’ll also be sure to keep an eye on which Ford EVs qualify for which level of IRA tax credit.
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If you’re considering going electric, May will be a great time to score a deal on an EV lease. Automakers are slashing lease prices on some of the most popular EVs to move inventory – here are four standouts.
Nissan Ariya SUV
Photo: Nissan
The Nissan Ariya SUV has an MSRP of $41,805. Its lease term is 36 months, with $4,409 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 10,000 a year. Monthly payment? A sweet $129!
Nissan cut the 2025 Ariya Engage’s price by $144 in April, so it now has an effective monthly cost of $251 – that’s seriously affordable for an electric SUV. If you’re already a Nissan driver, then you’re going to get an even better deal, because Nissan is offering a $1,000 loyalty discount on the Ariya, which brings its effective cost down to $224 per month.
CarsDirect, which sniffed out this deal, thinks this Ariya deal will be in place until Memorial Day, so take advantage of tariff-free pricing while you can.
The Honda Prologue SUV has an MSRP of $48,850. Its lease term is 36 months, with $1,399 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 10,000 a year. The monthly payment on the Prologue is $239.
The 2024 Honda Prologue has up to $18,800 in rebates, and the price includes a $1,000 lease loyalty discount or conquest offer. In California and other ZEV states, the EX has an effective cost of just $278 per month; in other parts of the US, pricing will be around $30 higher. This offer ends July 7.
The Tesla Model 3 has an MSRP of $43,880. Its best lease term is 24 months, with $1,044 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 10,000 a year. The monthly payment on the Model 3 is $349.
The 2025 Tesla Model 3 still has the $7,500 federal government EV rebate. Several months ago, Tesla reduced the amount due at signing on all Model 3s. And for those who want to lease a Long Range Model 3, the effective cost can be as low as $393 per month.
You can lease the Model 3 for 36 months, but the folks at CarsDirect found that the better deal will be had on 24-month leases. They compared the Model 3’s MSRP to the 2025 Lexus IS 300 F Sport’s MSRP, which is nearly identical, and the Model 3 was around 30% cheaper to lease.
Acura ZDX
Photo: Acura
The 2024 Acura ZDX has an MSRP of $65,850. Its best lease term is 36 months, with $4,699 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 7,500 a year. The monthly payment on the ZDX is $299.
The 2024 ZDX is Acura’s cheapest vehicle to lease because it features up to $29,450 in lease cash. However, the best deal is limited to California and ZEV states. If you cash in on a loyalty discount or conquest cash, the effective cost is $430 per month. This offer runs til June 30.
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Ford (F) reported its first-quarter earnings, beating Wall Street’s revenue and EPS expectations. However, with Trump’s auto tariffs, Ford is suspending full-year guidance. Here’s a breakdown of Ford’s Q1 2025 earnings
Ford Q1 2025 earnings preview
After crosstown rival General Motors cut its full-year financial guidance last week, investors are waiting to see if Ford will follow suit.
Ford’s previous 2025 forecast called for EBIT of $7 billion to $8.5 billion and capital expenditures between $8 billion and $9 billion.
The biggest threat is Trump’s new auto tariffs, which include a 25% duty on imported vehicles and many parts. Since Ford builds a greater percentage of vehicles in the US than any other major automaker, outside of Tesla, it isn’t expected to see as big of an impact.
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CEO Jim Farley called it “an opportunity for Ford,” during an interview with CNN last week, saying the company has a “different footprint, a different exposure for tariffs.”
Ford imports around 21% of the vehicles it sells in the US, while GM imports around 46%. According to Estimize, Wall St expects Ford to post Q1 EPS of $0.0 on revenue of $38.02 billion.
The company reports earnings for each of its three business units, Ford Blue (gas-powered vehicles), Model e (electric vehicles), and Ford Pro (commercial and software business).
In the fourth quarter, Ford’s EV unit (Model e) lost another $1.4 billion while Pro and Blue each reported an adjusted EBIT of $1.6 billion.
Ford Mustang Mach-E (left) and F-150 Lightning (right) (Source: Ford)
Financial breakdown
Ford beat Wall Street estimates, reporting first-quarter revenue of $40.7 billion with an adjusted EPS of 0.49.
Q1 2025 Revenue: $40.7 billion vs $38.02 billion expected.
Q1 2025 Adjusted EPS: $0.49 vs $0.0 expected.
The company posted adjusted EBIT of $1 billion, down 63% from Q1 2024. Ford said its first-quarter EBIT suffered a nearly $200 million hit from added tariff costs, primarily in Ford Blue and Ford Pro.
Ford Pro generated an EBIT of $1.3 billion, Ford Blue $96 million, and Ford Model e reported an EBIT loss of $849 million.
Ford Model e Q1 2025 earnings (Source: Ford)
For Model e, the company is focused on improving gross margins and “exercising a disciplined approach to investments in battery facilities and next-generation products.” Although still a nearly $1 billion loss, it’s still a $500 million improvement from Q1 2024.
Ford said higher Model e revenue was driven by new EVs launching in Europe, like the electric Explorer and Capri.
Ford’s electric vehicles in Europe from left to right: Puma Gen-E, Explorer, Capri, and Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
The company said its “Power Promise” promotion, which includes a free home charger and several other benefits, has helped drive demand in the US.
Although it’s tracking within its previous full-year adjusted EBIT guidance of between $7 billion and $8.5 billion, Ford is suspending full-year guidance due to the uncertainty surrounding tariffs.
2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
Ford estimates the full-year gross cost of tariffs to be around $2.5 billion. It expects a tariff-related net adverse adjusted EBIT impact of about $1.5 billion for the full year 2025.
Ford also extended its “From America, For America” campaign last week. The promo includes employee pricing on most 2024 and 2025 models and now runs through July 4.
Check back for more info from Ford’s first quarter conference call. Ford is also hosting its annual meeting on Thursday, May 8, where we should learn more about its EV plans and how it will navigate the new tariffs.
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