The European market is increasingly becoming the main market for major car manufacturers, but it seems that one of them is slowly losing the battle with the competition. According to experts, the shutdown of Focus next year, one of the two remaining essential models, could put Ford’s future in serious trouble and an even lower position on the European market, where it currently records a drop in sales of 17.5 percent.

For years, driven by bad estimates from market analysts, Ford has been trying to become a fully electric brand, but without success. Guided by the European Union’s decision on the new Euro 7, Ford, unlike most others, too quickly decided to stop the production of some models (Galaxy, S-Maxa, Mondeo, C-Max and Fiesta). However, since the European Union decided to delay the entry into force of the new Euro 7, a large number of manufacturers were forced to change their strategy, but Ford did it too soon.

Next year, Focus will go into the past, and that is what worries experts the most. Of the conventional vehicles, in which the market currently has great interest, only Kuga and Puma remain. This is not enough for a large manufacturer, such as Ford, to stand up to increasingly strong competition. Thus, for the next year, the offer will include only a few models with an internal combustion engine (Puma, Kuga, Bronco, Mustang and Tourneo) and the new EcoSport version, while the electric offer will include the Mustang Mach-E and Explorer Electric, and from 2025, electric Puma and Capri versions. When it comes to plug-in hybrids, apart from the Kuga PHEV, which manages to keep up with the competition, Ford has no other model on offer.

Many believe that Ford should consider postponing the withdrawal of the Focus model, at least for some time, until the American company finds a better solution and stabilizes its position on the European market.