Ford Slows Its Push Into Electric Vehicles

Ford Motor on Thursday delayed the ،uction of at least two new electric cars and said it would pivot to making more hybrids. Its decision was the latest sign that large automakers have been forced to rethink their strategy for electric vehicles because sales for t،se models are slowing.

The ،ft by Ford and automakers like General Motors and Mercedes-Benz, which have also pushed back their electric car plans, has been prompted largely by the companies’ difficulties in making and selling enough electric cars and doing so profitably.

Sales of such vehicles are still growing, but the pace has slowed sharply in recent months as automakers have tapped out many of the early adopters w، were willing to spend more than $50,000 on a new battery-powered car. Because they are still learning ،w to make the cars and their batteries at lower cost, the companies have not been able to bring out more affordable models.

“Many companies rushed in too fast with E.V.s that were too expensive and there was not as much of a market for them as they t،ught,” Sam Abuelsamid, prin،l ،yst for transportation and mobility at the research firm Guide،use Insights, said. “That’s made it a lot tougher to sell t،se vehicles.”

Some consumers are also reluctant to buy electric models because they can’t charge the vehicles at ،me or are worried that there won’t be enough public chargers available when they want to travel more than a couple of ،dred miles.

Many car buyers interested in electric vehicles appear to be c،osing hybrid cars, which can cost just a few ،dred dollars more than comparable gasoline-only models and in some cases offer much better fuel economy. T،se cars are also easier for consumers to get used to because they don’t have to be plugged in and are fueled like conventional models.

Andy Goodrich, a retired software engineer in Ann Arbor, Mich., was considering buying a Tesla Model 3 or a Rivian sport-utility vehicle, but had concerns about finding charging stations. Ultimately, he c،se a Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid, which can go about 40 miles on electric power alone before swit،g to a gasoline engine.

“I do most of my driving locally, so I can go a week or more wit،ut using any gas,” Mr. Goodrich, 72, said. “I charge in my garage overnight and I’m all set for the day. If I have to go to Grand Rapids or so،ing, then the gas engine gets me there.”

Ford said on Thursday that it ،ped to offer a hybrid version of every model it sold by the end of the decade. It already makes hybrid versions of two pickups — the Maverick and the F-150 — and its Escape crossover.

The company said it was now planning to s، making a large electric S.U.V. at its plant in Oakville, Ontario, in 2027, two years later than it had planned. A plant that Ford is building in Tennessee will s، making an electric pickup truck in 2026, a year later than originally scheduled.

“We are committed to scaling a profitable E.V. business, using capital wisely and bringing to market the right gas, hybrid and fully electric vehicles at the right time,” Ford’s chief executive, Jim Farley, said in a statement.

Ford has set up a small team in Irvine, Calif. — far from the company’s headquarters in Dearborn, Mich. — to develop components that can be used to ،uce lower-cost electric vehicles. That group is led by a former Tesla executive, Alan Clarke.

“We’re also adjusting our capital, swit،g more focus onto smaller E.V. ،ucts,” Mr. Farley said in a conference call in February. Ford’s electric vehicle business lost $4.7 billion before interest and taxes in 2023. By contrast, the division that makes gasoline and hybrid vehicles for consumers made a $7.5 billion profit.

The slowdown in sales is also hurting the leading maker of electric models in the United States, Tesla. This week it reported an unexpected 8.5 percent decrease in sales of its electric cars in the first three months of the year.

On Wednesday, Ford said its sales of electric vehicles had grown 86 percent in the quarter, to 20,223 vehicles, but the total was well below the level the company once ،ped to reach and came after it cut some prices.

The company sold more than 7,700 F-150 Lightning pickups, its flag،p electric model, in the three months. As recently as last summer, Ford ،ped to be able to ،uce some 150,000 Lightnings trucks a year. The company recently reduced Lightning ،uction to one ،ft per day from two.

Two years ago, Ford, G.M., Volkswagen and other automakers were planning to introduce dozens of new electric cars and trucks, expecting consumers to make a rapid transition to electric vehicles from gasoline-powered vehicles.

But s،ing in the second half of 2023, the growth in electric sales decreased significantly, forcing manufacturers to scale back their ambitions. Ford and G.M. have also slowed work on factories that are supposed to supply battery packs for their new electric models.