Ford chief executive Mark Fields says the American automaker intends on lobbying President-elect Donald Trump to soften strict fuel economy rules to better reflect market demand.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Fields said that as it stands, the CAFE standards require carmakers to produce more electric vehicles and hybrids than is warranted by customer demand. He says that there simply aren’t enough customers interested in electrified vehicles for such fuel economy rules to be enforced.
“In 2008, there were 12 electrified vehicles offered in the U.S. market and it represented 2.3 percent of the industry. Fast forward to 2016, there’s 55 models, and year to date it’s 2.8 percent,” Field claimed. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to have customers, so obviously there would be pressure on the business if there’s not a market.”
In the lead-up to the U.S. election, Fields and Trump butted heads over the President-elect’s assertion that the brand was planning on completely abandoning U.S. production and local jobs in favor of Mexico.
Nevertheless, after the election, Ford confirmed that it would work closely with Trump moving forward with policies which will impact the automobile industry.
Given Trump’s climate change skepticism, it seems possible that he might lower CAFÉ standards, especially after a major automotive lobby group also urged trump to soften these rules.
Photo: Donald Trump/Facebook
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