Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, December 4 (Xinhua) Ford is now facing resistance from dealers in many states to its electric vehicle sales plans, according to Teslarati.

Previously, Ford improved its electric vehicle sales model by requiring dealers to certify and invest in infrastructure. Now, however, Ford dealers are resisting the company's rules, many of which say they are inflexible and require high fees in the early stages, and some even plan to take legal action.

CTOnews.com learned that Ford's electric vehicle certification program has two main requirements: selling electric cars at a fixed price and investing $500000 to $1.2 million in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Depending on how much the dealers choose to invest, they will get the corresponding number of electric cars to sell. If dealers choose not to be certified, they will not be eligible to sell Ford electric cars.

Ford faced apparent resistance from dealers in Connecticut, where the dealer association and a senator representing the state criticized the company, saying they might take legal action, according to CT News Junky and Ford Authority reports. Senator Richard Blumenthal said Ford may have violated his franchise agreement and may need to be investigated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Dealers mostly protested Ford's demand that dealers pay high upfront fees to get a certain number of electric cars. Many dealers believe that the system lacks flexibility and that small dealers may not be able to afford to pay such a high fee, regardless of their size.

Connecticut is not the only area where Ford is facing a counterattack, with dealers in as many as three states showing similar protests.

Ford CEO Jim Farley pointed out that the new strategy is to actively promote dealers to accept electric vehicles and improve the company's sales system to compete with direct consumer brands such as Tesla and Rivian. The most obvious improvement comes from the fixed price agreement, which is expected to put an end to dealers' price increases.

Judging from Ford's recent announcement, the certification program will continue to exist and will not be extended. However, Ford will allow dealers to have a second certification opportunity in 2027, although it is not clear what the terms of the plan are.

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