MARTIN SANDER IN THE HOT SEAT

How can Ford make a multimillion-pound commitment to Formula 1 while axing 3800 European jobs?

“We have to do what’s necessary in order to descale our business and to translate the drastic reduction in complexity we see in the business in our move from ICE to electric vehicles. We have to translate this reduction in complexity into our organisation and our cost structure. Otherwise, we will not be competitive with companies who are Ev-only, like Tesla and whoever is coming. That’s part of the job. But the other part of the job is to create exciting future business, to create more excitement for our brand. And if the marketing specialists come to the conclusion that it’s more efficient to spend money in this partnership [with Red Bull] than in traditional advertising, then I think it’s a smart move.”

Has a decision been made on the future of the Saarlouis factory?

“We’ve made the decision. We announced that we aren’t going to build vehicles [there] any more after the run-out of the Focus; 2025, that’s what we’re planning at the moment. We’re in discussions with several interested parties. We’re looking into the opportunities of setting up business on that side. OEMS, other businesses, other industries: there’s really a wide range of interesting interested parties [who] we’re in discussions with at the moment.”

Does the UK still have a role to play for Ford?

“Absolutely. Dunton is the global centre of excellence for light commercial vehicles, supported of course by the manufacturing team in Germany. In the UK we have drivetrain manufacturing [at Halewood]. We made a huge investment of £380m into [EV] drivetrain technology there. And of course the UK is a huge market force: the dealer network and sales organisation has a massive footprint there. It’s one of our most important markets in the world.”