Ford Motor Co. is delaying the roll out of an electric three-row sport utility vehicle by two years, extending the layoff of 2,700 workers in Canada who were set to begin building it in 2025.
The automaker said in a statement Thursday it is “retiming” the big SUV EV to debut in 2027 to “allow for the consumer market for three-row EVs to further develop.”
Ford said it also is looking to lower the cost of the EV by utilizing “emerging battery technology.”
The delay, first reported last month by Bloomberg, is another sign of the slowdown in the US EV market as consumers balk at high prices and a spotty charging infrastructure.
The factory in Oakville, Ontario, will cease producing gas-fueled Edge SUVs next month and was due to be converted this year to build the electric SUV.
Now the automaker said it is working with Unifor, the union representing Ford’s Canadian employees, to extended benefits to workers who are due to receive up to 70 percebt of pay while laid off.
“We are committed to taking care of our valued Oakville employees through this transition,” Bev Goodman, president of Ford Canada, said in the statement.
Source: Al Arabiya
