Ford asks suppliers to cut EV costs in an all-win-or-lose push for profitability
Ford is putting “everything on the table” to keep up with Tesla and fast-rising Chinese EV makers like BYD. In a new memo, Ford asked suppliers to cut EV costs after its Model e unit continued to bleed billions in Q1.
Like many rivals, Ford introduced significant price reductions to keep up with Tesla’s price cuts. Although the move has helped boost demand, it’s also costly.
For example, after dropping Mustang Mach-E prices 17% earlier this year, volume shot up by 141%.
Ford’s Mustang Mach-E was the second best-selling electric SUV last quarter, behind Tesla’s Model Y, with 9,589 units sold. That’s up 77% over Q1 2023. The F-150 Lightning remained the top-selling electric pickup in the US, with 7,743 models sold (+80% YOY).
All Ford electric vehicles saw double-digit (or triple-digit) growth in Q1, with E-Transit sales up 148% (2,891).
However, in its first-quarter earnings last month, Ford revealed its Model e EV business lost another $1.3 billion. The loss comes after Model e posted a net loss of around $4.7 billion last year.
The automaker expects the losses to continue piling up, with Model e projected to lose another $5.5 billion this year.
Ford has already delayed several projects, including its three-row electric SUV, as it works to “substantially reduce the costs of the batteries,” according to CEO Jim Farley.
Farley believes the company can better compete with smaller, more affordable EVs. As a result, Ford is shifting funding (including around $12 billion in EV investments) to optimize profitability.
Ford is asking suppliers to cut EV costs
Ford’s CEO stressed that Model E needs to “stand on its own.” To do so, Ford has already implemented several cost-cutting measures.
Its most recent is to work with its suppliers. In a recent memo (obtained by Crain’s Detroit Business), Ford asked suppliers to help cut EV costs as it works toward profitability.
“We have all invested heavily in the success of the EV business, and we will all win or lose together,” stressed Ford’s chief supply chain officer, Liz Door. “To enable affordability, it is of paramount importance that our EV portfolio achieves further levels of material cost efficiency.”
In the note, Ford asked its suppliers to create “incremental cost-reduction proposals” for current and next-gen EVs. These include the F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit, and P800 electric pickup and Ford’s larger electric SUV.
“We need your best ideas to drive cost reduction, even if they have been previously rejected by Ford,” Door said. With “Everything on the table,”
Ford is seeking investment ideas that support profitability. Examples of investments could include “commercial, design, content, footprint, and value chain” actions.
The actions could also involve “adjusting capacity downward where necessary, repurposing capital as needed, understanding spending curves and discussing all options,” the memo stated.
Electrek’s Take
Ford is looking for anything to slow its EV unit from bleeding billions of dollars. The company expects every new EV to make money in the first 12 months of launching. To do so, working with suppliers will be critical.
Rivian is another company that has worked with its suppliers to gain control of costs. The EV maker invited supplier partners to its Normal, IL manufacturing plant to discuss win-win opportunities to cut costs.
Meanwhile, Ford is following Toyota with plans to introduce more hybrids as a bridge to its next-gen vehicles. A move that could set it further behind in the long-run.
If you’re in the market for a new EV, Ford’s recent price cuts make the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning even more attractive. You can use our links below to view deals on Ford’s electric vehicles in your area.
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Tesla has wiped off the 26,000 miles on the odometer of a Cybertruck in service, scratched the vehicle, and then returned it to the owner like nothing happened.
A Tesla Cybertruck owner in Oregon was quite surprised when he went to pick up his Cybertruck, which was in service to install a new lightbar, fix some panel gaps, and figure out an ABS alert that wouldn’t go away.
According to a thread on the Cybertruck Owners Club, Tesla had wiped the odometer clean on the Foundation Series ‘Cyberbeast’, which had over 26,000 miles on it.
The owner shared a video of the Cybertruck’s odometer going from 0 to 1 mile for the second time:
The odometer on the vehicle was wiped and both the app and service many also showed the same mileage.
The owner shared a screenshot of the app after 15 miles:
He went to the online forum for advice:
Anyone else have their odometer Thanos-snapped after a controller swap? Can Tesla unsnap it or am I forever “True Mileage Unknown”?
Interestingly, Tesla is currently being sued for allegedly messing with the odometers of its vehicles. However, the lawsuit is for accelerating the mileage, not reducing it, like in this case.
It was not the only surprise from this service visit for this Cybertruck owner.
The owner was not satisfied with the lightbar installation, which he claims has a half-inch gap on the passenger side while it is flush on the driver side. He wrote:
It’s basically smiling sideways at everyone.
It’s also unclear why Tesla was messing with the vehicle’s tailgate, but it ended up having a bolt moving around it, causing scratches and Tesla left a bolt unbolted:
At this point, the truck was returned with more problems than it had when it entered service.
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Nissan is on the brink of collapsing. After the Honda deal fell through, it looks like another Japanese automaker is tossing it a lifeline. As Nissan struggles to stay afloat, Toyota is emerging as a potential “backer” in a new tie-up.
Are Toyota and Nissan partnering?
“If we don’t take action now, the situation will only get worse,” Nissan’s President, Ivan Espinosa, said during a press conference on May 13.
Facing falling sales, ballooning debt, and slumping profits, Nissan introduced a new recovery plan last week, “Re:Nissan.” The struggling automaker aims to cut costs by 250 billion yen to return to profitability by FY 2026.
As part of its efforts to turn the business around, Nissan will cut 20,000 jobs by FY2027. It’s also abandoning plans to build a new EV battery facility in Japan. Seven other plants will be closed, including one in Thailand and two in Japan.
After its planned EV merger with Honda fell through in February, rumours surfaced that Nissan was scrambling to find another partner.
According to a new report from Japan’s MainiChi, a Toyota executive recently reached out to Nissan about a potential partnership. The tie-up could involve Toyota acting as Nissan’s “backer” to support it while it restructures.
Nissan and Toyota both unveiled a wave of new electric vehicles set to roll out over the next few years. The upgraded Nissan LEAF EV will arrive in the US and Canada later this year with more range, an NACS port, and a new crossover style. It will be one of ten new Nissan or Infiniti models to arrive by 2027.
In Europe, Nissan will launch the next-gen LEAF later this year, followed by the new Micra EV and Qashqai electric crossover. In 2026, the new Nissan Juke EV will join the lineup.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s upgraded bZ electric SUV (formerly the “bZ4X”) will arrive at US dealerships in the second half of 2025.
In 2026, the smaller C-HR electric SUV and rugged bZ Woodland EV will follow. By the end of the year, Europe will see three new Toyota electric SUVs: the C-HR+, Urban Cruiser, and upgraded bZ4X.
Electrek’s Take
Toyota already has a stake in several Japanese automakers, including Subaru (20%), Mazda (5.1%), Suzuki (4.6%), and Isuzu (5.9%), so backing Nissan wouldn’t come as a shock.
Espinosa said Nissan was open to new partnerships. Nissan’s chief said the company will continue collaborating with others, including Mitsubishi, which will use the upcoming LEAF as the basis for its new EV for North America.
Japanese carmakers have been notoriously slow in shifting to all-electric vehicles, which is now costing them in key overseas markets like Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and others.
Chinese EV leaders, like BYD, are quickly expanding overseas to drive growth this year. Next year, it will launch its first kei car (see the first spy shots), or mini EV, which is already being called “a huge threat” to Japan.
Pooling resources and teaming up may be the best (or only) option at this point. Can Toyota help Nissan turn things around? Or will it be too little, too late? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Check back soon for details. This is a developing story. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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