What future for Ford sports vehicles in the electric era?

A few years ago, Ford still had a wide range of so-called “ efficient “. With the arrival of electric cars, everything has been turned upside down. The design boss of the American firm shares his vision on the future of the brand.

What future for high-performance Fords?

The Ford ST and RS are becoming increasingly rare. After the Fiesta, it will soon be the Focus’s turn to disappear from the catalog. Only the Puma ST and Mustang will remain on sale. To find out more about the future of sports vehicles at Ford, our colleagues atAutocar spoke with Amko Leenarts, the design director for Ford Europe.

So, do sporty Fords have a future? From Mr. Leenarts’ point of view, yes! He points out that Ford Performance has never had so many vehicles: “ Formula 1, Dakar, WRC, Pikes Peak, Nascar… We are present everywhere, and this will inevitably have an influence on our consumer cars “. For the moment, an average motorist does not have as many choices. There is a Mustang Mach-E GT, but we have not yet seen sporty variants of the Explorer and Capri.

Amko Leenarts wants cars that tell a story

Amko Leenarts wants to be reassuring about the future of the brand and affirms that Ford is now choosing to offer “ a very wide range of good electric cars with the Explorer, Capri, F-150 Lightning and Mach-E “. Before adding that “ we went from a very linear offering in terms of design with the Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo, to a much more daring approach ».

Also readTestimonial – After getting stuck in his Fisker Ocean, Cyrille switches to the Ford Explorer

He is convinced that today, people are looking for vehicles “ who tell a story, who have a personality “. He takes the example of Volkswagen which would like to once again become the “ brand of the people ”, as was the case several years ago. But the rules of the game have changed. New actors have appeared. So, have consumers lost interest in major automobile brands?

According to Ford’s design boss, “ all car manufacturers must reinvent themselves, because it is no longer enough to save a few millimeters or have slightly better lighting. The whole must be complete and tell a different story “. He is convinced that in 2024, “ we have incredible freedom on the design side. There are no more restrictions. I think it’s a great time ».