Nine months after outlining extensive plans to bring more EV models to Europe, Ford Motor Company shared its intentions to use the transition to rebrand itself under a new slogan – “adventurous spirit,” which represents American values like freedom, the outdoors, and of course larger vehicles. Whether consumers in Europe will embrace American heritage remains to be seen, but Ford’s EV technology could certainly help.
Despite Ford Motor Company being a staple of American culture, its near 120 years in autos has led to global expansion, including Ford of Europe, which was established in the late 60s. To date, the American automaker’s presence in Europe has consisted of mostly combustion models, but its EV lineup is starting to catch up.
This past March, Ford shared extensive EV plans for Europe that included nine new models by 2024, four of which are passenger vehicles. Today, Ford Motor has reaffirmed those plans and taken it a step further by vowing to be “more American” in its EV marketing in Europe in order to sell the “adventurous spirit” the automaker represents in the form of larger crossovers and SUVs.
Source: Ford Motor Europe
Ford – established in a country built upon renouncement from a kingdom in order to find freedom to build its own culture – will now promote its own heritage back on Europe to sell EVs. It’s truly not that big of a deal, funny even, especially when it comes to global marketing. Who doesn’t love Western culture, right?
According to Automotive News Europe, Ford intends to use this fresh launch of new EVs overseas to refresh its marketing on its path to becoming entirely electric by 2030. According to the American automaker, the “adventurous spirit” mantra the brand will be built upon, stands for “freedom, the outdoors, and adventure.”
The new marketing also represents promotion of crossovers and SUVs instead of long running compacts like the Ford Fiesta and Focus – both have which have received expiries in Europe in favor of upcoming EVs. Fiesta customers can switch to the electric Puma, which will be built in Romania and launch in 2024. Its current production facility in Cologne, Germany will also be revamped to produce the two aforementioned EVs that will sit atop VW’s MEB platform (or perhaps the MEB+?).
Ford’s EV shake-up in Europe will also include changes to its retail network. The automaker plans to switch to an agency direct-sales model overseas, in which Ford invoices customers directly and pays dealerships a flat fee for each sale. Per Ford’s marketing chief in Germany, Christian Weingaertner:
We are seizing the opportunity to completely reposition ourselves. Our future models are more American, and from 2030 they will all be electric.
Ford remains one of the few – if not the only – US automaker that has stayed relatively competitive in the European market, but its profitability has wavered in recent years. Similar to its approach in the US, Ford looks to phase out its less popular compacts in favor of larger EVs that provide more value and space. That being said, this journey won’t come without its own competition of local automakers looking to grow their market share, all while transitioning toward all-electric lineups.
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Now, we get Tesla’s registration numbers for April, and the automaker delivered only 203 vehicles despite having plenty of old Model Ys in inventory and deliveries of the new Model Y AWD.
So far in 2025, Tesla has delivered an average of 533 vehicles per month, down 71% from last year.
This amounts to a demand collapse for Tesla in the country despite the new Model Y AWD being available for the last two months and deliveries available within days.
Tesla is still stuck with a decent amount of inventory of the old Model Y in Sweden despite having stopped production over 2 months ago.
The only hope for Tesla right now is the start of deliveries of the new Model Y RWD next month. As you can imagine, RWD vehicles are not super popular in the Swedish market. AWD vehicles account for the majority of sales.
Electrek’s Take
71% drop in average monthly deliveries in 2025 versus 2024. This is scary stuff and completely unsustainable. Unfortunately, I would even anticipate layoffs for Tesla advisors and delivery staff in the country.
With sales down to just a few hundred monthly units, it can’t justify the same sales staff as last year.
Tesla is being squeezed out of Europe at a pace few people saw coming.
The automaker has introduced lower interest rates to help with demand, but it’s certainly not enough.
Sales should be bad but not disastrous by the end of Q2, due to Model Y RWD helping a bit. The real test will be Q3, when everything should be back to normal in terms of the availability of Tesla’s lineup and there’s no backlog of demand for people waiting for their specific trim.
If Q3 turns out as bad as the first half of 2025, Tesla is basically done in Europe. it will be a small niche automaker rather than the growing market leader it was just 2 years ago.
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GM’s top-selling electric SUV is now on sale. Starting at just $289 per month, the 2025 Chevy Equinox EV is now even cheaper to lease than the gas-powered SUV.
The 2025 Chevy Equinox EV is cheaper to lease in May
GM is offering more savings on “America’s most affordable 315+ mile range EV” this month. With monthly lease prices starting as low as $289 per month, the 2025 Chevy Equinox EV is hard to pass up this May
It’s even cheaper than the gas-powered Equinox right now, which starts at $299 per month. The offer is a 24-month lease on the 2025 Chevy Equinox EV 2WD LT model, with $3,399 due at signing.
Despite being an entry-level model, the Equinox EV FWD LT offers a range of up to 319 miles and over 15 standard driver assistance and safety features.
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The interior features a 17.7″ center infotainment screen, which GM claims is the largest in its class, and an 11″ driver display. It also has plenty of cargo space with up to 57.2 cubic feet.
With over 10,300 models sold, the electric Chevy Equinox was GM’s best-selling EV in the first quarter. Alongside the electric Blazer and Silverado, the Equinox EV has helped propel Chevy to become the fastest-growing electric vehicle brand in the US.
GM is offering the Equinox EV deal for those who take delivery by June 2, 2025. It’s based on the 2025 Chevy Equinox EV FWD LT trim with an MSRP of $34,995.
2025 Chevy Equinox EV LT (Source: GM)
Monthly payments total $6,936, and you will have the option to purchase once the lease is up. GM said the amount would be determined at the lease signing.
Other deals for the 2025 Chevy Equinox include 1.4% APR for 36 months and a $7,500 federal EV tax credit. If you opt for the 2024 model year, GM offers 0% APR for 60 months.
Rivian is ringing in spring with an enticing new lease offer for Gen 2 R1 EVs. Through May, customers can lease any Rivian R1 dual-motor EV with a Max battery and performance upgrade for $0 down.
Rivian continues to be a shining star in American EV innovation. Riding the success of its flagship R1 models, the company continues to bolster its manufacturing prowess en route to additional models, including the R2, R3, and R3X.
Now in their second generation, the R1S and R1T have become best sellers, helping fund the company’s progress in building out its R2 assembly lines in Normal, Illinois—a vehicle that has already garnered hundreds of thousands of reservations.
While we await those new Rivian models, we can’t sleep on the current flagships. I lease a Gen 2 R1S and love it. For those interested in leasing an R1 of their own, there is no better time to do so. Today, Rivian announced a new “Nothing But Adventure” lease offer running this entire month, where you can save big bucks on your monthly payment with $0 down.
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The Gen 2 R1S / Source: Rivian
Rivian introduces “Nothing But Adventure” lease offer
The American automaker shared details of its latest demand lever today, which applies to any R1 EV with a dual motor configuration, a Max battery pack, and a performance upgrade package. Now through May 31, 2025, Rivian will cover your lease down payment with a $6,500 offer.
Additionally, customers can take advantage of the usual $7,500 EV credit, which is underwritten into each lease for being a BEV manufactured in the US. That mean’s its an additional point of sale bonus without having to wait for a tax credit at the end of the year. score!
So in total, Rivian’s May lease offer can total $14,000 off a new R1 model. That’s huge.
As expected, there is some fine print to be aware of. For example, Rivian leases are not available in all states. The $6,500 lease offer may be combined with the $7,500 EV Lease Credit, but “may not be combined with other public offers unless permitted by Rivian.”
Lease customers must take delivery of their Rivian Dual Max R1S or R1T with a performance upgrade by May 31, 2025, to qualify for the offer. The amount due at signing includes a $500 deposit, first month payment, $895 acquisition fee, and $0 security deposit.