Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business (Continued)
In 2022, CARB adopted new light-duty emissions standards applicable to vehicles beginning in model year 2026 as part of its new Advanced Clean Cars II (“ACC II”) regulations. ACC II includes more stringent emissions standards and other new emissions requirements, with the stated goal of 100% electrification of new passenger cars and trucks by 2035. EPA has yet to take final action on CARB’s request for a waiver of federal preemption for the ACC II standards, which will be necessary before they can be enforced. The expected court ruling in the legal challenge to EPA’s reversal of the revocation of California’s authority could also impact EPA’s action on CARB’s request for a waiver of preemption for ACC II.
CARB has also adopted new emissions regulations applicable to model year 2024 and later heavy-duty engines, as well as extended heavy-duty warranty requirements beginning with model year 2022. EPA has granted waivers of preemption for some of CARB’s heavy-duty standards, and is expected to grant or deny waivers for the remaining standards in 2024 (agency action which could be impacted by the outcome of the litigation over the waiver for CARB’s light-duty standards). EPA itself has adopted more stringent heavy-duty criteria emissions standards, beginning with the 2027 model year, and proposed more stringent heavy-duty GHG emissions standards, also beginning with the 2027 model year, which are expected to be finalized in the first half of 2024. These rules include more stringent emissions standards, as well as new requirements affecting durability testing, warranty, and OBD. In Ford’s case, the heavy-duty emissions standards—as well as the fuel economy standards discussed below—primarily affect heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, as well as vocational vehicles such as shuttle buses and delivery trucks. As the heavy-duty standards increase in stringency, it may become more difficult to comply while continuing to offer a full lineup of heavy-duty trucks.
The new rules promulgated by EPA and CARB are expected to impose increased challenges and costs on Ford and other manufacturers of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines. Stringent federal or state agency fuel economy and GHG standards that are misaligned with market conditions could also force Ford to take various actions that could have substantial adverse effects on its sales volumes and operations. Such actions could include restricting offerings of selected engines and popular options; taking actions to increase sales of Ford’s most fuel-efficient vehicles; and ultimately curtailing the production and sale of certain internal combustion vehicles, such as high-performance cars, utility vehicles, and/or full-size light trucks in order to maintain compliance. The ongoing litigation challenging EPA and CARB standards and potential future federal reversals and rollbacks create risks for Ford’s planning and investing for compliance, or could also potentially relieve the burdens of misalignment of the standards with market conditions.
Compliance with automobile emissions standards depends in part on the widespread availability of high-quality and consistent automotive fuels that the vehicles were designed to use. Legislative, regulatory, and judicial developments related to fuel quality at both the national and state levels could affect vehicle manufacturers’ warranty costs as well as their ability to comply with vehicle emissions standards.
California ZEV Requirements. The California vehicle emissions program includes requirements for manufacturers to produce and deliver for sale zero-emission vehicles (“ZEVs”). California’s light-duty vehicle ZEV regulation, which uses a system based on credits that can be banked and carried forward, mandates annual increases in the production and sale of battery-electric, fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid vehicles. By model year 2025, this regulation will require approximately 22% of a manufacturer’s California light-duty vehicle sales volume be ZEVs. In ACC II, California has revised the ZEV regulation in a way that will continue to increase ZEV sales. Beginning with model year 2026, the revised ZEV rule mandates a 35% light-duty ZEV sales requirement, rising to 100% by 2035. The revised regulation also imposes significant restrictions on credit usage and new requirements for EV battery durability. EPA must either decide that these revisions fall within the scope of prior waivers of federal preemption granted for CARB’s ZEV amendments or waive preemption for these standards before the standards can be enforced. Also, California has instituted ZEV regulations governing medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, beginning with the 2024 model year. These stringent ZEV requirements covering light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles could yield significant costs and compliance challenges, and include complex warranty and recall requirements. As of December 31, 2023, sixteen states have adopted California’s ZEV requirements. Additionally, in 2023, California adopted new medium- and heavy-duty fleet purchase requirements that include a 100% ZEV manufacturer sales requirement starting in 2036. Compliance with ZEV requirements depends on market conditions (including consumer preference for and the pricing of EVs) in each jurisdiction where the requirements apply (such as California and each opt-in state), technology readiness, and battery raw material availability as well as the availability of adequate infrastructure to support vehicle charging.
Federal Fuel Economy Requirements - Light-Duty Vehicles. Federal law requires that light-duty vehicles meet minimum corporate average fuel economy (“CAFE”) standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”). Manufacturers are subject to civil penalties if they fail to meet the CAFE standard in any model year, after taking into account all available credits for the preceding five model years and expected credits for the three succeeding model years. The law requires NHTSA to promulgate and enforce separate CAFE standards applicable to each manufacturer’s fleet of domestic passenger cars, imported passenger cars, and light-duty trucks.
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Item 1. Business (Continued)
Because the vast majority of GHGs emitted by a vehicle are the result of fuel combustion, GHG emissions correspond closely with fuel economy. Historically, NHTSA and EPA have therefore coordinated with each other on their fuel economy and GHG standards, respectively, to avoid potential inconsistencies. Beginning with the 2012 model year, EPA and NHTSA jointly promulgated harmonized GHG and fuel economy regulations under what came to be known as the “One National Program” (“ONP”) framework, and California agreed that compliance with the federal program would satisfy compliance with its own GHG requirements, thereby avoiding a patchwork of federal and state standards. In 2022, NHTSA finalized more stringent fuel economy standards for model years 2024-2026, which are substantially aligned with EPA’s GHG standards. These standards are subject to a legal challenge, with a court decision expected in 2024. In 2023, NHTSA proposed increasingly stringent fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks in model years 2027-2031 and heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans in model years 2030 through 2035. NHTSA proposed these fuel economy standards separately from EPA’s proposed GHG standards for the same model years, and it is not clear whether the NHTSA and EPA standards will be aligned, or whether they will be aligned with CARB’s ACC II standards. Different standards pose additional compliance burdens, including complexity and costs.
Global Vehicle Emissions Standards and Fuel Economy
European Emissions Standards. EU and U.K. regulations, directives, and related legislation limit the amount of regulated pollutants that may be emitted by new motor vehicles and engines sold in the European Union and the United Kingdom. Regulatory stringency has increased significantly with the application of Stage VI emission standards (first introduced in 2014) and the implementation of a laboratory test cycle for CO 2 and emissions and the introduction of on-road emission testing using portable emission analyzers (Real Driving Emission or “RDE”). These on-road emission tests are in addition to the laboratory-based tests (first introduced in 2017). The divergence between the regulatory limit that is tested in laboratory conditions and the allowed values measured in RDE tests will ultimately be reduced to zero as the regulatory demands increase. In addition, new requirements for tailpipe and non-tailpipe emissions will be included in the upcoming Euro 7 regulation. The costs associated with complying with all of these requirements are significant, and following the EU Commission’s indication of its intent to accelerate emissions rules in its road map publication “EU Green Deal” as well as the EU sustainable mobility action plan, these challenges will continue in European markets, including the United Kingdom. In addition, the Whole Vehicle Type Approval (“WVTA”) regulation has been updated to increase the stringency of in-market surveillance. Moreover, following the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union, we may be subject to diverging requirements in our European markets, which could increase vehicle complexity and duties.
There is an increasing trend of city access restrictions for internal combustion engine powered vehicles. The access rules being introduced are developed by individual cities based on their specific concerns, resulting in rapid deployment of access rules that differ greatly among cities. The speed of implementation of access rules may directly influence customer vehicle residual values and choice of next purchase. In an effort to support the Paris Accord, some countries are adopting yearly increases in CO 2 taxes, where such a system is in place, and publishing dates by when internal combustion powered vehicles may no longer be registered, e.g., Norway in 2025 and the Netherlands in 2030.
Other National Emissions Control Requirements. Many countries, in an effort to address air quality and climate change concerns, are adopting previous versions of European or United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (“UN-ECE”) mobile source emission regulations. Some countries have adopted more advanced regulations based on the most recent version of European or U.S. regulations. For example, the China Stage VI light-duty vehicle emission standards, based on European Stage VI emission standards for light-duty vehicles, U.S. evaporative and refueling emissions standards, and CARB OBD II requirements, incorporate two levels of stringency for tailpipe emissions. Under the level one (VI(a)) standard, the emissions limits are comparable to the EU Stage VI limits, except for carbon monoxide, which is 30% lower than the EU Stage VI limit. The more stringent level two (VI(b)) standard’s emissions limits, which are currently in place nationwide in China, are approximately 30-50% lower than the EU Stage VI limits, depending on the pollutants. Both China Stage VII light-duty vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles emission regulations are expected to be drafted between 2024 and 2025, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has advised that the Stage VII regulations will have more stringent limits on pollutant emissions and will establish limits for greenhouse gas (primarily CO 2 ) tailpipe emissions. Mexico and most countries in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America are evolving to implement more stringent requirements accepting Europe and U.S. regulations, except Brazil, which has a unique local process called PROCONVE based on U.S. regulations for light-duty vehicles and European regulations for heavy-duty vehicles. Other countries across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Australasia expect to introduce regulations based on EU Stage VI standards in the near term. Canadian criteria emissions regulations are largely aligned with U.S. requirements and are anticipated to remain aligned with the new EPA rules that will be published in 2024 for 2027 model year and beyond.
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Item 1. Business (Continued)
Elsewhere, there is a mix of regulations and processes based on U.S. and EU standards. Not all countries have adopted appropriate fuel quality standards to accompany the stringent emission standards adopted. This could lead to compliance problems, particularly if OBD or in-use surveillance requirements are implemented.
Global Developments. Vehicle emissions regulators continue to focus on the use of “defeat devices.” Defeat devices are elements of design (typically embedded in software) that improperly cause the emission control system to function less effectively during normal on-road driving than during an official laboratory emissions test, without justification. They are prohibited by law in many jurisdictions, and we do not use defeat devices in our vehicles.
Regulators around the world continue to scrutinize automakers’ emission testing, which has led to a number of defeat device settlements by various manufacturers. EPA is carrying out additional non-standard tests as part of its vehicle certification program. CARB has also been conducting extensive non-standard emission tests, which in some cases have resulted in certification delays for diesel vehicles. In the past, several European countries have conducted non-standard emission tests and published the results, and, in some cases, this supplemental testing has triggered investigations of manufacturers for possible defeat devices. Testing is expected to continue on an ongoing basis. In addition, plaintiffs’ attorneys are pursuing consumer class action lawsuits based on alleged excessive emissions from cars and trucks, which could, in turn, prompt further investigations by regulators.
European GHG Requirements. The European Union regulates passenger car and light commercial vehicle CO 2 emissions using sliding scales with different CO 2 targets for each manufacturer based on the respective average vehicle weight for its fleet of vehicles first registered in a calendar year, with separate targets for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. A penalty system applies to manufacturers failing to meet the individual CO 2 targets. Pooling agreements between manufacturers to utilize credits are possible under certain conditions, and we have entered into such pooling agreements in order to comply with fuel economy regulations without paying a penalty and to enable other manufacturers to benefit from our positive CO 2 performance. For “multi-stage vehicles” (e.g., Ford’s Transit chassis cabs), the base manufacturer (e.g., Ford) is fully responsible for the CO 2 performance of the final up-fitted vehicles. The initial target levels get significantly more stringent every five years (2025, 2030, and 2035, after which all new light-duty vehicles must be zero emission), requiring significant investments in propulsion technologies and extensive fleet management to enable low CO 2 emissions for our fleet. EU heavy-duty CO 2 regulations are being finalized and will also limit CO 2 fleet performance, with slightly different requirements. The United Kingdom and Switzerland have introduced similar rules for light-duty vehicles, and the United Kingdom has adopted ZEV mandates as well as CO 2 fleet limits for non-ZEV vehicles starting in 2024.
The EU Commission is investigating the introduction of Real Driving CO 2 and Life Cycle Assessment elements, and heavy-duty vehicles are addressed in separate regulations with analogous requirements and challenges. As discussed above, the EU Commission has announced a “Green Deal” with more stringent requirements for CO 2 emissions (including stricter CO 2 fleet regulations) and other regulated emissions and include recycling and substance restrictions. While the EU Commission targets net climate neutrality by 2050 and an ambitious 2030 interim target (a 55% CO 2 reduction across all industries compared to 1990), several countries, such as Germany, have adopted stricter interim targets and earlier net climate neutrality targets.
Ford also faces the risk of advance premium payments for both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in all European markets due to, for example, unexpected market fluctuations and shorter lead times impacting average fleet performance.
The United Nations developed a technical regulation for passenger car emissions and CO 2 . This world light-duty test procedure (“WLTP”) is focused primarily on better aligning laboratory CO 2 and fuel consumption figures with customer-reported figures. The introduction of WLTP in Europe started in September 2017 and requires updates to CO 2 labeling, thereby impacting taxes in countries with a CO 2 tax scheme as well as CO 2 fleet regulations for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Costs associated with new or incremental testing for WLTP are significant.
Some European countries have implemented or are considering other initiatives for reducing CO 2 vehicle emissions, including fiscal measures and CO 2 labeling to address country specific targets associated with the Paris Accord. For example, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, among others, have introduced taxation based on CO 2 emissions. The EU CO 2 requirements are likely to trigger further measures. In addition, delayed vehicle launches and supply shortages, as well as an insufficient charging infrastructure and lower demand for ZEV and low CO 2 emission vehicles as certain electric vehicle incentives are reduced or for other reasons, can trigger compliance risks in all European markets.
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Item 1. Business (Continued)
In addition to imposing strict emissions requirements, European regulations are increasingly including other sustainability requirements, such as reporting obligations and supply chain due diligence. While these regulations are applicable in European jurisdictions, they often apply to global corporations and require adjustments in corporate processes, policies, and strategies, which may be costly. For example, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive requires companies to disclose how their business model and strategy align with limiting global warming to 1.5°C in line with the Paris Agreement. Companies that fail to comply with these requirements could face significant monetary penalties and suffer reputational harm.
In 2023, the EU adopted the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”), which will subject certain imported materials (such as iron, steel, and aluminum) to a carbon levy linked to the carbon price payable on domestic goods under the European Trading Scheme. The CBAM could increase our costs of importing such materials and/or limit our ability to import lower cost materials from non-EU countries.
Other National GHG and Fuel Economy Requirements. Regional governments across the globe are considering implementing, and in some cases introducing, emissions regulations that align with CAFE standards. The Canadian federal government regulates vehicle GHG emissions under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. In October 2014, the Canadian federal government published the final changes to the regulation for light-duty vehicles, which maintain alignment with U.S. EPA vehicle GHG standards for the 2017-2025 model years. The revised U.S. EPA standards were automatically adopted in Canada by reference for the 2022-2026 model years, and draft amendments for a few standalone administrative elements not automatically adopted by reference were published in December 2022. The heavy-duty vehicle and engine GHG emissions regulations for the 2021 model year and beyond were published in May 2018 and are in line with U.S. requirements, subject to any change in those requirements. Ford expects that the federal government in Canada will continue to align its standards with the new EPA standards for the 2027 model year and beyond. On December 20, 2023, the Canadian federal government also published light-duty ZEV sales requirements through amendments to the Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations. The amendments require annual sales percentages starting with 20% for the 2026 model year to 100% by the 2035 model year. The federal government has also published its intent to develop ZEV sales requirements for heavy-duty vehicles beginning with the 2027 model year. Both Quebec and British Columbia have regulations requiring that 100% of new vehicle sales be ZEVs by 2035, but finalized amendments in 2023 that increase their interim annual targets starting in 2025 and 2026. Both provinces have also started developing heavy-duty ZEV mandates based on CARB’s standards. Compliance with ZEV requirements depends heavily on market conditions that promote consumer preference for EVs, such as technology readiness, purchase incentives, and affordability, as well as the availability and reliability of adequate infrastructure to support vehicle charging. In addition to the ZEV mandates, Quebec is also developing a regulation to ban the sale of light-duty internal combustion engine vehicles as of 2035, which is intended to capture only small manufacturers not already obligated under the ZEV mandate. Other provinces have signaled their interest in light-duty ZEV sales regulations but are waiting to assess the provincial impact of the final federal ZEV regulations.
China’s Corporate Average Fuel Consumption and New Energy Vehicle (“NEV”) Credit Administrative Rules contain fuel consumption requirements as well as credit mandates for NEV passenger vehicles, i.e., plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles, or fuel cell vehicles. The fuel consumption requirement uses a weight-based approach to establish targets, with year-over-year target reductions. China set a target of 4.6L/100km for the 2025 passenger vehicle industry fuel consumption fleet average and is projecting a further fuel consumption reduction to a target of 3.5L/100km in 2030, based on the WLTP. The NEV mandate requires that OEMs generate a specific amount of NEV credits each year, with NEV credits of at least 28% and 38% of the annual ICE passenger vehicle production or import volumes required in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Future percentages are currently proposed as 45%, 50%, and 54% of the annual ICE plus NEV passenger vehicles production or import volumes for 2026, 2027, and 2028, respectively.
Demand for EVs continues to grow, at fluctuating rates. As discussed below in Item 1A. Risk Factors under “Ford may need to substantially modify its product plans and facilities to comply with safety, emissions, fuel economy, autonomous driving technology, environmental, and other regulations,” in addition to the rates of EV growth, production disruptions, stop ships, supply chain limitations, lower-than-planned market acceptance of our vehicles, and/or other circumstances may cause us to modify product plans or, in some cases, purchase credits in order to comply with emissions standards, fuel economy standards, or ZEV requirements. In the fourth quarter of 2023, for example, we entered into an agreement to purchase about $700 million of regulatory compliance credits for future use in the United States, the ultimate number of which is dependent on the seller’s ability to deliver the credits.
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Item 1. Business (Continued)
Vehicle Safety
U.S. Requirements. The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (the “Safety Act”) regulates vehicles and vehicle equipment in two primary ways. First, the Safety Act prohibits the sale in the United States of any new vehicle or equipment that does not conform to applicable vehicle safety standards established by NHTSA. Meeting or exceeding many safety standards is costly and has continued to evolve as global compliance requirements and public domain (e.g., New Car Assessment Programs (“NCAPs”), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (“IIHS”), and the China Insurance Auto Safety Index) ratings and assessments continue to evolve, are increasing in demands, and lack harmonization globally. As we expand our business priorities to include autonomous vehicle technologies and broader mobility products and services, our financial exposure has increased. Similarly, federal and state regulatory requirements are growing quickly as lawmakers and regulators adapt to advancements in automation, ranging from driver-assistance technologies such as automatic braking to fully autonomous vehicles. Second, the Safety Act requires that defects related to motor vehicle safety be remedied through safety recall campaigns. A manufacturer is obligated to recall vehicles if it or NHTSA determines the vehicles contain a non-compliance or a defect resulting in an unreasonable risk to safety. Should we or NHTSA determine that either a safety defect or noncompliance issue exists with respect to any of our vehicles, the cost of such recall campaigns could be substantial.
European Requirements. The EU has established vehicle safety standards and regulations and is likely to adopt additional or more stringent requirements in the future, especially in the areas of access to in-vehicle data, artificial intelligence, and autonomous vehicle technologies.
The European General Safety Regulation (“GSR”) introduced UN-ECE regulations, which are required for the European Type Approval process. The GSR includes the mandatory introduction of multiple active and passive safety features, including cybersecurity requirements for new vehicle models from 2022 and for all registrations in 2024. EU regulators are focusing on active safety features, such as lane departure warning systems, electronic stability control, and automatic brake assist. Furthermore, mobile network providers in certain EU Member States have begun shutting down their 2G and 3G networks, which form the basis for e-Call system functionality in existing vehicles. The e-Call systems in existing vehicles may need to be updated as these systems are phased out. It is also possible that the EU may mandate Member States to maintain these networks to allow for the continued functionality of existing e-Call systems.
Other National Requirements. Globally, governments generally have been adopting UN-ECE based regulations with minor variations to address local concerns. Any difference between North American and UN-ECE based regulations can add complexity and costs to the development of global platform vehicles, and we continue to support efforts to harmonize regulations to reduce vehicle design complexity while providing a common level of safety performance; we are seeking new opportunities in bilateral negotiations that can potentially contribute to this goal.
Safety and recall requirements in Brazil, China, India, South Korea, and Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”) countries may add substantial costs and complexity to our global recall practice. Brazil has set mandatory fleet safety targets and penalties are applied if these levels are not maintained, while a tax reduction may be available for over-performance. In Canada, regulatory requirements are currently aligned with U.S. regulations; however, under the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Minister of Transport has broad powers to order manufacturers to submit a notice of defect or non-compliance when the Minister considers it to be in the interest of safety. In 2021, Canada started preliminary consultations on several new proposed regulations, including Administrative Monetary Penalties (“AMPs”) and Analysis of Technical Information for Vehicles and Equipment (“ACTIVE”) regulations. Final regulations for AMPs took effect in October 2023. Draft regulations for ACTIVE are expected to be released in 2024 and will likely contain some reporting requirements that are unique to Canada. In China, new standards regulating Intelligent and Connected Vehicles, vehicle cybersecurity, software updates, and Data Storage System for Automated Driving (“DSSAD”), which are more comprehensive than UN-ECE requirements, are expected to take effect in 2026, and in China, Malaysia, and South Korea, mandatory e-Call requirements are being drafted. E-Call became mandatory in the UAE for new vehicles starting with the 2021 model year, and, following an update to its next generation e-Call regulations, will be required in Saudi Arabia beginning with the 2027 model year.
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Item 1. Business (Continued)
New Car Assessment Programs. Organizations around the world rate and compare motor vehicles in NCAPs to provide consumers and businesses with additional information about the safety of new vehicles. NCAPs use crash tests and other evaluations that are different than what is required by applicable regulations, and use stars to rate vehicle safety, with five stars awarded for the highest rating and one for the lowest. Achieving high NCAP ratings, which may vary by country or region, can add complexity and cost to vehicles. Similarly, environmental rating systems exist in various regions, e.g., Green NCAP in Europe. In China, C-NCAP has a stringent rating structure to decrease the number of five-star ratings. In Southeast Asia, an updated NCAP test and rating protocol is similarly forecast to be effective beginning in 2026, and is expected to put greater emphasis on assessment of driver assistance technologies. These protocols impose additional requirements relating to testing, evaluation, and mandatory safety features, and compliance with them (or any subsequent updates to them) may be costly.
HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES
People Strategy and Governance
We strive to create an employee experience that enables an inclusive environment of excellence, focus, and collaboration among team members, allowing us to deliver short- and long-term business success. Ford maintains an Executive People Forum consisting of the CEO and top leadership team that meets monthly with a specific focus on people and organizational topics that will enable and accelerate delivery of our Ford+ plan. Key topic areas include Compensation & Retention; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”); Organization Design; Talent Planning & Development; and Culture.
Our Board of Directors and Board committees provide important oversight on certain human capital matters, including items discussed at the Executive People Forum. The Compensation, Talent and Culture Committee maintains responsibility to review, discuss, and set strategic direction for various people-related business strategies, including: compensation and benefit programs; leadership succession planning; culture; DEI; and talent development programs. The Sustainability, Innovation and Policy Committee is responsible for discussing and advising management on maintaining and improving sustainability strategies, the implementation of which creates value consistent with the long-term preservation and enhancement of shareholder value and social wellbeing, including human rights, working conditions, and responsible sourcing. Collective recommendations to the Board and its committees are an important part of how we proactively manage our human capital and create an employee experience that allows employees and our organization to thrive.
Employee Health and Safety
Nothing is more important than the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and we consistently strive to achieve world-class levels of safety through the application of sound policies and best practices. We maintain a robust safety culture designed to reduce workplace injuries, supported by effective communication, reporting, and external benchmarking.
We verify compliance with regulatory requirements as well as our internal safety standards. To prevent recurrence of workplace injuries, regular updates are provided to Company management on key safety issues, including safety key performance indicators (“KPI”), significant incidents, and high potential near misses. Our safety team also participates in multi-industry benchmarking groups, within and outside the automotive sector, to share safety best practices and collaborate on common health and safety concerns.
Our Safety Record
Any loss of life or serious injury in the workplace is unacceptable and deeply regretted. Unfortunately, there was one employee fatality incident in 2023. Robust corrective actions have been implemented to prevent recurrence and reduce risk to our employees and contractors working on site. We continue to encourage accurate and detailed reporting of safety issues to reduce risk and improve workplace safety.
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Item 1. Business (Continued)
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At Ford, we believe that creating and sustaining a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion for all our employees is foundational to both achieving our Ford+ plan and treating employees with dignity and respect. Ford offers 10 global Employee Resource Groups (“ERGs”) that represent various dimensions of our employee population, including race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, and generation with chapters throughout the world. Our ERGs are instrumental in providing a voice to our globally diverse workforce as well as sharing valuable insights into the development of products, services, and experiences.
Ford empowers leaders to develop DEI action plans specific to the unique needs and culture of each function and region. From an enterprise perspective, we have taken several concrete steps to further these efforts, including embedding DEI into our corporate strategy and governance, highlighting DEI in the expected behaviors that support Ford’s operating system, and forming an enterprise DEI Council composed of leaders to drive integration across employees, suppliers, dealers, and customers. This holistic DEI strategy includes a strong focus on equity throughout the employee experience, monitoring the diversity within both internal and external talent pipelines, and DEI education.
Our diversity statistics include the following as of December 31, 2023: 27.9% of our salaried employees worldwide identify as females; 25.5% of our total salaried and hourly employees in the United States identify as female; and 36.7% of our total salaried and hourly employees in the United States identify as a minority.
Talent Attraction, Growth, and Capability Assessment
Talent attraction at Ford is evolving with the transformation of our business. We are sourcing and attracting candidates from multiple industries and regions of the world. We continue to recruit talent from traditional industries, such as manufacturing and consulting, and have been successful in attracting talent from non-traditional industries, specifically the technology industry. This is important as we build our expertise in growth areas such as software, electrification, and integrated services.
From a capability perspective, we leverage best practices in assessments and talent management to strengthen our current capabilities and future pipeline while reinforcing a culture of excellence, focus, and collaboration. The performance management process is reviewed regularly to ensure we set clear expectations, measure individual performance, and reward appropriately. Our process includes a semi-annual review of each individual’s performance to objectives and demonstration of expected behaviors of excellence, focus, and collaboration.
Finally, the extent to which our People Leaders are equipped to drive our transformation plays a vital role in our strategy, and we are committed to helping our leaders strengthen their capabilities with dedicated traditional and non-traditional learning opportunities. Our leadership strategy equips our leaders with the capabilities to deliver business results and grow the talent needed to meet our organizational needs.
Employee Wellbeing Initiatives
Our global, holistic approach to wellbeing encompasses the financial, social, mental/emotional, physical, and professional needs of our employees. Foundational to our wellbeing philosophy is providing a broad array of resources and solutions to educate employees, build capability, and meet individual and organizational wellbeing needs and goals. Wellbeing is an integral part of our total rewards strategy as we work to address business and employee challenges through a multi-channel approach that provides our diverse populations and global regions flexibility and choice to meet their specific needs.
We use data-driven insights gathered through surveys, focus groups, and claims data to understand employee needs and prioritize our wellbeing efforts. We provide global wellbeing programs, such as Employee Assistance Programs and mindfulness sessions, among other things. In addition, we provide employees with experiences, self-guided tools, and social connection opportunities, as well as access to the professional support and resources they need to achieve their own sense of wellbeing. We are committed to creating an environment where employees and People Leaders care for each other as we deliver Ford+.
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Item 1. Business (Continued)
Employee Sentiment Strategy
We gather feedback from our employees through a variety of channels throughout the year. Our approach is designed to capture sentiment and make it actionable for managers, leadership, and for the teams designing the tools, processes, and policies that impact the employee experience. We use a mix of annual and real-time surveys designed to understand employee sentiment in areas such as: people leader effectiveness, job satisfaction, DEI, wellbeing, overall satisfaction, strategy and execution, and Ford Operating System behaviors.
A critical element of measuring sentiment is ensuring the data gets to those who are best positioned to use it to drive improvements in the employee experience. We design dashboards and tools for managers to view the results from their teams, help them to generate meaningful insights, and convert those insights into guided actions. We share the results with senior executives to identify broader trends and themes and to inform larger strategic decisions across the Company.
Employment Data
The approximate number of individuals employed by us and entities that we consolidated as of December 31 was as follows (in thousands):
2022 2023
United States 84 87
Rest of World 84 85
Company excluding Ford Credit 168 172
Ford Credit 5 5
Total Company 173 177
Substantially all of the hourly employees in our Ford Blue, Ford Model e, and Ford Pro operations are represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements. In the United States, approximately 99% of these unionized hourly employees are represented by the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (“UAW” or “United Auto Workers”). At December 31, 2023, approximately 59,000 hourly employees in the United States were represented by the UAW.
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ITEM 1A. Risk Factors.
We have listed below the material risk factors applicable to us grouped into the following categories: Operational Risks; Macroeconomic, Market, and Strategic Risks; Financial Risks; and Legal and Regulatory Risks.
Operational Risks
Ford is highly dependent on its suppliers to deliver components in accordance with Ford’s production schedule and specifications, and a shortage of or inability to acquire key components or raw materials, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese, can disrupt Ford’s production of vehicles. Our products contain components that we source globally from suppliers who, in turn, source components from their suppliers. If there is a shortage of a key component in our supply chain or a supplier is unable to deliver a component to us in accordance with our specifications, because of a production issue, limited availability of materials, shipping problems, restrictions on transactions with certain countries or companies, or other reason, and the component cannot be easily sourced from a different supplier, or we are unable to obtain a component on a timely basis, the shortage may disrupt our operations or increase our costs of production.
For the production of our electric vehicles, we are dependent on the supply of batteries and the raw materials (e.g., lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese) used by our suppliers to produce those batteries. As we increase our production of electric vehicles, we expect our need for such materials to increase significantly. At the same time, other companies are increasing their production of electric vehicles, which will further increase the demand for such raw materials. As a result, we may be unable to acquire raw materials needed for electric vehicle production in sufficient amounts that are responsibly sourced or at reasonable prices. As described below under “ To facilitate access to the raw materials and other components necessary for the production of electric vehicles, Ford has entered into and may, in the future, enter into multi-year commitments to raw material and other suppliers that subject Ford to risks associated with lower future demand for such items as well as costs that fluctuate and are difficult to accurately forecast ” as well as in the Liquidity and Capital Resources section in Item 7 below, we have entered into and we may, in the future, enter into offtake agreements and other long-term purchase contracts that obligate us, subject to certain conditions such as quality or minimum output, to purchase a certain percentage or minimum amount of output from certain raw materials suppliers. In the event the supplier under those agreements or any of our or our suppliers’ raw material supply contracts is unable to deliver sufficient quantities of raw materials needed for our or our suppliers’ production operations, e.g., if a mine does not produce at expected levels, or the raw materials do not otherwise satisfy our requirements, and we or our suppliers are unable to find an alternative resource with sufficient quantities, at reasonable prices, responsibly sourced (e.g., in compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and similar regulations and standards), and in a timely manner, it could impact our ability to produce electric vehicles.
A shortage of, or our inability to acquire or find adequate suppliers of, key components or raw materials as a result of disruptions in the supply chain, capacity constraints, limited availability, competition for those items within the automotive industry and other sectors, or otherwise can cause a significant disruption to our production schedule and have a substantial adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Further, as a result of lower-than-anticipated industrywide electric vehicle adoption rates or otherwise, suppliers of such raw materials or components may become distressed.
To facilitate access to the raw materials and other components necessary for the production of electric vehicles, Ford has entered into and may, in the future, enter into multi-year commitments to raw material and other suppliers that subject Ford to risks associated with lower future demand for such items as well as costs that fluctuate and are difficult to accurately forecast. We have announced plans to significantly increase our electric vehicle production volumes; however, our ability to produce higher volumes of electric vehicles is dependent upon the availability of raw materials and other components necessary for the production of batteries, e.g., lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese, among others. As described above under “ Ford is highly dependent on its suppliers to deliver components in accordance with Ford’s production schedule and specifications, and a shortage of or inability to acquire key components or raw materials, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese, can disrupt Ford’s production of vehicles ,” to facilitate our access to such raw materials, we have entered into and we may, in the future, enter into offtake agreements and other long-term purchase contracts. Such agreements obligate us, subject to certain conditions such as quality or minimum output, to purchase a certain percentage or minimum amount of output from raw material suppliers over an agreed upon period of time pursuant to an agreed upon purchase price mechanism that is typically based upon the market price of the material at the time of delivery.
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