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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFord and Honda scrap struggling models after billions in losses
Ford and Honda are ripping up parts of their electric playbooks after racking up losses that would make even tech unicorns blush. The two brands poured billions into ambitious EVs and partnerships, only to discover that customers, charging networks, and costs were not lining up fast enough to justify the bets. Now they are scrapping halo models, shelving joint platforms, and trying to prove to investors that the next wave of EVs will be leaner and actually profitable.
This reset is not happening in a vacuum. Across the industry, carmakers are taking huge write-downs on electric programs that once looked untouchable, with total charges around $50 billion tied to EV development and manufacturing. Ford and Honda sit right in the middle of that storm, and their decisions to walk away from struggling projects offer a blunt reality check on how tough the transition from gasoline to batteries has become.
Ford went harder than most into electric pickups and big-ticket crossovers, and the bill has arrived. The companys dedicated EV arm, often described as Ford Model e, has been a financial sinkhole, with reports that Ford Motors electric vehicle division lost $4.8 billion in fiscal year 2025 alone. That red ink helped drag the wider business into what has been described as Historic Losses that were Worse Than the Great Recession, with The Blue Oval absorbing a hit that dwarfed the pain of earlier downturns and highlighting how aggressively it had chased electric growth.
Those numbers forced a ruthless look at the product lineup. Ford has already warned that its EV division is expected to keep losing money, with internal guidance pointing to losses of up to $4.5 billion through 2026 even after an improvement of $1.6 billion in Gen 1 products. The company has also acknowledged a separate $8.2 billion overall loss, where the Ford Model E EV Unit Lost $4.8 Billion In 2025, underlining how much of the financial damage is tied directly to the electric push rather than the traditional truck and SUV franchises that still generate cash.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ford-and-honda-scrap-struggling-models-after-billions-in-losses/ar-AA1WQpGe
Ninga
(9,009 posts)better.
When I look at dirty black snow all I can think of is that pollution and ICE vehicles are about 70% responsible for the dirty snow.
And to think we humans breathe the same air that contributes to dirty black snow piled at the side of the road.
Not so with my EV.
The Wizard
(13,661 posts)who want cars that work and don't cost a fortune to buy and keep on the road. Practical reliable vehicles sans bells and whistles is the coming craze.
ananda
(34,694 posts)And fucking confusing too.
Miguelito Loveless
(5,629 posts)used EVs out there. They work fine, are cheap to run, and have few repairs.
gay texan
(3,193 posts)Dumb SUV disaster
hunter
(40,549 posts)Now they are simply negotiating the terms.
With Trump in charge it won't end well for the American auto worker.
I expect he'll be crowing about affordable cars any day now.
flvegan
(66,110 posts)more unique problems: initial price and apocalyptic depreciation. The loss of incentives was an additional gut punch. In other words, if you bought a new EV, there's a good chance that you're an idiot unless you keep it for several years.
Ford's big mistake (to me) was rushing to market with EVs that weren't going to be terribly popular long term: the F150 and the Mustang Mach-E. Folks that want big pickemup trucks aren't going to buy into an EV version in a big way any time soon. The Mach-E, while vastly improving year over year, and quite frankly an amazing performance machine in GT trims (especially the Rally, whoa), it's got that "but it's not a Mustang" label from a lot of folks that never owned a Mustang in the first place, or weren't buying a Mustang any time soon. It seems the Edge and Escape would have been good platforms for SUV EVs. But what do I know.
And Honda, why? Nobody shopping for a Honda wants to hear about how your EV platform is a General Motors platform. And why isn't the new Prelude an EV? Look at it! Not that it matters. Your shit dealership network putting "market adjustment" prices on those underpowered, miserable little things probably isn't going to work out for you (psst...you've only sold like 200 of them so far). Learned nothing from the CR-Z mistake.
Sorry, rant over.