Cars.co.za report offers interesting insights
Cars.co.za recently launched Industry Report 2026 at its DealerCon summit, offers insight into the forces shaping South Africa’s vehicle market.
- Dealer News
- 22 September 2026
Reuters reported that Ford Motor Co said it expected its electric vehicle business unit to lose $3 billion this year.
On a better note, the company did say though that it remained on track to achieve a pre-tax margin of 8% by late 2026.
The projected loss was revealed ahead of a briefing for investors and analysts on 23 March to discuss details of the automaker’s new financial reporting format.
Starting with first-quarter results, which will be announced on 2 May, Ford will begin reporting by business unit for Model e (electric vehicles), Blue (combustion vehicles) and Pro (commercial vehicles and services).
Ford projects Model e’s cumulative three-year loss from 2021-2023 at $6 billion, including a pro-forma loss last year of $2.1 billion, but expected the unit to be profitable on a pre-tax basis before the end of 2026.
Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said Ford would no longer break out financial results by region, only by business unit, because “that’s how we’re running the company now”.
He said Ford would provide quarterly and annual sales and market share for the company’s top five global markets but would no longer report by region.
Last year, Ford had a pre-tax loss of $600 million in China, broke even in Europe and posted a modest $400 million profit in South America, with most of its earnings before interest and taxes - $9.2 billion - coming from North America.
The company expected its Ford Pro commercial vehicle business to nearly double pre-tax profit this year to $6 billion, while the traditional Ford Blue business should see a modest increase to $7 billion.
Lawler reaffirmed the company’s target of a 10% adjusted EBIT margin by late 2026.
He said the automaker would have the global capacity to build 600,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2023 and 2 million by late 2026 - “and we intend to fully use that capacity”.
Cars.co.za recently launched Industry Report 2026 at its DealerCon summit, offers insight into the forces shaping South Africa’s vehicle market.
Nissan has introduced the Tekton, a new compact SUV for the South African market. The model is built on the Renault‑Nissan alliance’s CMF‑B platform and is closely related to the Renault Duster, sharing engines and mechanical components.
At the recent DealerCon 2026, hosted by Cars.co.za automotive excellence was celebrated by honouring top executives in the automotive retails industry.
Advertisement
Advertisement
I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
For most of driving history, the sound of excitement has been orchestrated by the internal combustion engine (ICE).
Toyota is sharpening its focus on hydrogen as a practical route to cleaner heavy-duty transport, using IAA Transportation 2026 to showcase new fuel cell technology and partnerships with leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.
To mark World EV Day, Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) has launched the N3 EV Real-World Test. The initiative will turn everyday electric vehicle journeys between Johannesburg and Durban into a growing source of real-world data for South African motorists and fleet operators considering the switch to electric.