In the United States, Ford anticipates “incredible pressure” on electric vehicle prices next year, due to lower-than-expected demand. The confidence of John Lawler, Ford's financial director, relayed by AFP, echoes the probable elimination by future President Donald Trump of the $7,500 tax credit granted to buyers of a BEV. The manager added: “One thing we know is that consumers are not willing to pay too much premium for electric vehicles. »
Towards a reduction in subsidies
The context is reminiscent of the European situation. In the wake of Germany and Italy, France is preparing to drastically reduce its purchasing subsidies due to a budget deficit. The overall envelope would increase from 1.5 billion euros to one billion euros.
Already, the conversion bonus is in the spotlight, while the bonus for the purchase of an electric model could be halved and reduced to 2,000 euros. As for the future of electric leasing, if its renewal seems certain, its application conditions will certainly be less advantageous.
Compensating for the end of purchasing aid
At the same time, the electric market also remains sluggish on the Old Continent despite a rebound in sales of 2.4% observed last month. A reality which could lead manufacturers to relaunch the price war. Because the challenge will be to respect the CAFE indicators in terms of CO2 emissions. The obligation will require sales of electric vehicles to be doubled, to reach 25% market share.
From then on, the question will concern the relevance of compensating all or part of the end of purchasing aid, and of providing financing offers in LOA or LLD rather than risking heavy fines from Brussels.
A new price war!
For manufacturers committed to the democratization of electric vehicles through models costing 20,000 euros, sales prices will be at the heart of the debates. Depending on the applicable bonuses and contributions, the Leapmotor T03 is already available at 79 euros per month (note that the model is still not eligible for the ecological bonus). The Citroën ë-C3, for its part, claims a starting price of 84 euros, while the Dacia Spring expects a rental of 89 euros.
And if the new R5 E-Tech relies on monthly payments of 150 euros (a limited-time offer), Fiat for its part doubles the ecological bonus on the 500th!
A drop in commodity prices
Regardless of trade policies, manufacturers also rely on LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) battery technology to reduce the prices of their electric models. Less efficient than NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) chemistry, it benefits from a lower cost and even appeals to Mercedes-Benz. The brand with the star will therefore equip its future entry-level CLA with an LFP battery.
At the same time, the price competitiveness of electric models could benefit from the fall in raw material prices. Remember that the average price of an electric vehicle today is 42,000 euros, for a median salary of 24,000 euros…
