PARIS -- Ford Motor's newly minted top executive for Europe gave dealers a sneak peek last winter of some new, racing-inspired vehicles the company plans to sell by the end of the decade.
Dealers saw designs of striking compact electric cars, two hybrid crossovers and a rugged, small Bronco SUV for the region. Before leaving, one dealer scratched out a simple message on a Post-it note left for Ford Europe President Jim Baumbick: "We are back."
It has a long way to go. The last decade saw auto sales decline 36%, squeezed by Chinese competition. Strict European regulations for greener cars and underused factories drained the bottom line. And the fruits of Ford's comeback plan are still years away.
But Baumbick and his team believe that plan, which mirrors Ford's revised American strategy, could put the maker of icons like the Cortina and Escort back on top. No more boring, indistinguishable cars. Dial up the fun, in part by leaning in to nostalgia for Ford's motor-sports heritage. Partner with other automakers to reduce costs. Double down on commercial vehicles, like vans, already a healthy business line.
"We are doing this at a clock speed that's way faster than we historically would have," Baumbick said. "We need to be able to compete at China speed."
Exciting as Baumbick's message was to dealers, it was also a plea for patience.
Two small electric cars developed with France's Renault won't go on sale until 2028. Three new models, including a vehicle produced via a joint venture with China's Geely at Ford's underused factory in Spain, arrive by the end of 2029.
This means Ford is pitching European customers the future while competitors are touting the present. At last week's Paris Motor Show, most car brands displayed dozens of new vehicles on sale now, ranging from superfast-charging EVs to luxurious three-row SUVs.
Ford's stand was comparatively quiet. Santiago Sainz, president of Ford France, tried to do his best showman routine, puffing up the brand in a busy exhibit hall alongside high-tech luxury models from BYD's premium brand and Huawei-backed newcomer Aito.
It is why David Simonetti, new-car sales manager at a Ford dealer in France, welcomes the future vehicles. On a recent weekend, his showroom west of Paris featured an electric Mustang Mach-E crossover parked out front. A Ford Ranger truck inside had a cowboy hat on its hood.
Simonetti hit on another part of Ford's comeback plan: flexibility with what powers these cars. Its European car lineup is EV-heavy, save for the Puma and Kuga crossovers. "Some people don't want an electric car, and we just have two choices," Simonetti said.
Getting this right will be crucial for Ford's bottom line in a market where it has made and sold cars for well over a century.
Unlike crosstown rival General Motors, now much smaller in Europe than in decades past, Ford executives say they want to keep selling cars on the continent. Chief Executive Jim Farley routinely notes that Ford sells just as many vehicles outside of the U.S. as it does at home, topping four million globally last year.
Margins in Europe have always been slim. In 2022, the last year Ford broke out earnings for its European operations, it posted a mere $47 million profit, down from $1.2 billion in 2016.
Marc Tarling, an automotive designer who worked at Ford in Europe in the early 2000s, said the company hasn't had a clear direction in a market drastically different from the U.S. At home, Ford thrives on sales of large trucks and SUVs. In Europe, it has often struggled to distinguish its small-car offerings from scores of competitors.
"There was always a little bit of searching for a strong identity," Tarling said.
When Farley took the CEO job in 2020, he set about quickly overhauling the company's European business, slashing the region's workforce in half.
Baumbick, who took over as Ford Europe's president a year ago, said the streamlining has been necessary. The company has to stand out in a crowded field. It also can't count on vehicles hitting critical mass anymore.
"You now have to size your business, the way you operate, and your investments, in a way that you can compete at lower levels of volume," Baumbick said.
Ford executives think it will gain an edge by developing new cars that emphasize its past as a stalwart of the World Rally Championship, a racing series that has versions of street-legal cars competing on off-road courses.
In the WRC, souped-up Ford coupes and hatchbacks secured titles and won fans for decades. Ford is backing a return to the racing series in 2028, and the team behind it will have direct input on performance and handling on upcoming production vehicles.
That heritage might set Ford apart from a sea of newcomer Chinese brands.
Ludovic de Fombelle, a French dealer, said the company needs that kind of differentiation in what it sells. Ford already depends on EVs developed with Volkswagen hardware, and other models haven't stood out in the landscape. Sales have sagged since he bought his dealerships about a decade ago.
"I can sleep less and less," he said in an interview on the sidelines of the Paris show. He was among the dealers who got a glimpse of the future car plans and came away encouraged.
"I'm convinced that there is a place for Ford in Europe," he said.
Baumbick, who spends much of his time in London and at Ford's European headquarters in Cologne, Germany, said he has kept the dealer's Post-it on his iPad as a reminder of the work ahead.
"I have one mission," he said. "I've been sent here to build a sustainable, thriving business in Europe for the next 100 years."
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