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Ford has just revealed a major plan to reboot its European business, with seven new models, a fresh focus on electric vans and a new range of rally-inspired cars designed to put a bit more fun back into the brand.
It is a big moment for one of the world’s most famous car makers. But it also raises a big question: is Ford getting back on the front foot just in time, or has the market already moved faster than it expected?
It does not seem all that long ago that Ford dominated the British car market – and was building cars here at its famous Dagenham plant. Now you cannot even buy a brand-new Fiesta, Focus or Mondeo.
However, all is not lost. Ford still makes Britain’s best-selling car and van – the Ford Puma and Ford Transit – while the brand known as the Blue Oval has spent recent years reshaping its European business.
The pressure from Chinese car makers has been building fast. BYD, Omoda, Jaecoo, MG, GWM Ora, Leapmotor and XPeng are now firmly established in the UK market with electric cars, hybrid SUVs, sharp pricing, long warranties and increasingly confident styling. Just as importantly, they are building dealer networks and becoming impossible to ignore. Where a Ford logo once sat above your local dealership, it could just as easily now be a BYD badge.
Ford has felt the squeeze. Its UK sales are down 1.69 per cent so far this year, and while that is not entirely down to Chinese brands, the direction of travel is obvious. Ford is no longer the automatic choice it once was for family hatchbacks, small cars and company fleets. For generations of British drivers, names like Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo were part of everyday motoring life – alongside hot Ford models that gave the brand real character.
That is why Ford’s new European plan feels both important and slightly overdue. The company says it will launch seven new models in Europe over the next three years, including five all-new passenger cars by the end of 2029 and two new commercial vehicles.
There is also a new brand platform called Ready-Set-Ford, which sounds a little like something created in a room full of marketing consultants and whiteboards. But the thinking behind it is simple enough: Ford wants to remind buyers what it stands for – tough vans, fun cars and a sense of adventure.
That is not a bad place to start. In fact, it may be Ford’s best opportunity. If Ford tries to beat Chinese brands simply by copying them, it will struggle. Companies like BYD and MG already have scale, speed and aggressive pricing on their side. Chinese manufacturers can move quickly, bring new cars to market at pace and offer technology-packed models at prices that make established European brands wince.
Ford needs to play a different game. It needs to be unmistakably Ford. That means leaning into vans, driving fun, off-road toughness and its long motorsport heritage. Ford has more than a century of racing history behind it and, in Europe especially, that means rallying. Escorts, Sierras, Fiestas and Focuses built huge affection because they were not just sensible – they had a bit of mischief about them too.
That is why the promise of a new rally-bred line-up is so interesting. Ford says its future European cars will be designed for the roads we actually drive on here: tight city streets, bumpy lanes, twisting B-roads and mountain passes.
The first will be a new member of the Bronco family, a rugged compact SUV due to be built in Valencia from 2028. It will be a “multi-energy” model, which almost certainly means some form of plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Then comes a new small electric hatchback. For me, that is the most intriguing part of the plan. Ford says it will bring its trademark driving feel back to the B-segment – exactly where the Fiesta once ruled. There has already been confirmation of Ford working more closely with Renault, and it is not hard to imagine a Renault 5-based electric Ford wearing a famous badge. Fiesta? Maybe. I would be amazed if Ford has not at least considered it.
A small electric SUV will follow, using the same rally-inspired design language, while two more multi-energy crossovers will complete the line-up before the end of 2029.
The problem is timing. Chinese brands are not slowing down while Ford prepares its comeback. They are launching new models, expanding showroom networks and winning customers right now. Ford’s plan sounds promising, but it needs to turn that promise into metal quickly.
In the meantime, Ford’s strongest card remains its van business. Ford Pro has been Europe’s best-selling commercial vehicle brand for 11 years running, and that gives the company a huge advantage. Vans may not generate the same excitement as a new electric hot hatch, but they are central to a profitable future for Ford in Europe.
The new all-electric Transit City looks like a smart move. It is aimed at firms operating in busy urban areas where diesel vans are becoming harder to justify. Ford says it will come in a single high-spec trim, with three body styles including a chassis cab, and a targeted range of up to 158 miles. For plumbers, delivery drivers, local councils and city-based businesses, that could be exactly the sort of practical electric van they need.
Ford is also using connected vehicle data to help keep vans on the road. More than 1.2 million commercial customers in Europe are now linked through its systems, sending close to six million vehicle health signals every day. Ford says its services gave customers nearly one million extra days of uptime last year.
That may sound like dry fleet-management talk, but for a small business, a broken van can mean lost work, lost income and a very bad day.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Ford’s message, though, is its call for a more realistic route towards lower-emission motoring. Ford says strict targets must be matched by charging infrastructure, customer demand and commercial reality. It also wants greater support for plug-in hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles.
That will not please everyone. Some will say it sounds like a car maker asking for more time. But there is a practical argument here. If buyers are not ready, charging remains patchy and businesses still cannot get grid connections for depots, forcing the market too quickly risks slowing progress rather than accelerating it.
So, is Ford too late? Not quite. But it is later than it should have been.
The Fiesta-sized hole in Ford’s line-up has been obvious for years. So has the absence of a clear, affordable electric car sitting below the Explorer and Capri. Chinese brands have been more than happy to step into that space with cars that are good enough, well equipped and keenly priced.
Ford still has strengths many new brands would love to possess: huge name recognition, loyal van customers, a strong dealer network, deep motorsport heritage and a back catalogue full of cars people actually remember. But nostalgia alone will not win this fight. Nor will a clever slogan.
What Ford needs now is speed, clarity and cars that genuinely feel like Fords. If the new small EV is sharp to drive, competitively priced and wears the right badge, it could still make a major impact. If the Bronco spin-off looks the part and the plug-in hybrid crossovers hit the sweet spot of the market, Ford can still claw back attention.
But the clock is ticking. In Europe, the competition is no longer just Volkswagen, Peugeot, Renault and Vauxhall. It is a fast-growing wave of Chinese challengers with momentum firmly on their side.
Ford knows it has a fight on its hands. The good news is that it finally sounds ready to throw a punch.
The awkward part is that its rivals have already landed a few of their own.
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