Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Ford Motor demonstrates policy strategic policy engagement that is partially aligned with policy pathways aiming to deliver the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement 2023-25, with the exception of GHG emissions standards in Australia. Ford has positive and negative engagement with US GHG emissions standards, and has supported an EU zero-emissions CO2 target of 2035 for light-duty vehicles. Ford retains memberships to some negatively engaged trade associations which have opposed US and EU climate regulation.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Ford has positive top-line messaging on climate policy. The company supported achieving carbon-neutral economy by 2050 and the UN Climate Treaty in its 2025 Integrated Sustainability and Financial Report, released in June 2025. Ford supported the need for climate change regulation in its 2023 Political Engagement Report, released in 2024.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Ford has both positive and negative engagement on US and EU climate regulations. In the US, Ford defended the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GHG emissions standards in a May 2024 Motion to Intervene on Kentucky v. EPA. Ford also supported Phase 3 GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) in June 2023 EPA comments, and strongly supported the Phase 3 rule in a May 2024 EPA press release. However, in July 2023 EPA comments, Ford advocated for less ambitious light and medium-duty vehicle GHG emissions standards than those proposed by EPA in the short-term while supporting stringent longer-term targets.
Ford advocated for Michigan’s congressional delegation to defend tax credits for energy efficiency in a March 2025 joint letter. In October 2023 US federal regulatory comments, Ford advocated to weaken the stringency of proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for light trucks from 4% year-on-year to only 2%, and to maintain flexibilities like off-cycle credits that further weaken the program.
In Europe, Ford consistently supported a EU 2035 zero-emissions light-duty CO2 target for cars and vans, including in a November 2024 press release and a March 2023 statement by a senior executive. In March 2023, Ford also signed a joint letter advocating for EU states to adopt the 2035 zero-emissions CO2 target without an e-fuels loophole.
In Australia, Ford advocated for weaker emissions standards and flexibilities in a March 2024 consultation response on Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. A year prior, Ford generally supported an Australian fuel efficiency (CO2) standard without preference for a stringency level for the rule in a May 2023 consultation response.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Ford has increasingly positive engagement on policies to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. In the US, Ford advocated for mid-range zero-emission vehicle penetration targets for light- and medium-duty vehicles in July 2023 EPA comments. Ford also supported a 50% 2032 heavy-duty vehicle electrification target in June 2023 EPA comments. An August 2022 press release supported California’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule, noting that the rule “is a landmark standard that will define clean transportation”. Ford advocated to maintain EV tax credits in the US Build Back Better Act in a March 2025 advocacy event, March 2025 joint letter, March 2025 CEO statement, and June 2025 statement appearing in Transport Topics.
In Europe, Ford advocated for the German and Brussels governments to increase the ambition of policies to decarbonize road transport in statements in a May 2025 Financial Times article. Ford was supportive of the Greening Corporate Fleets initiative and advocated for a 2035 phase-out of ICE engines for corporate fleets in a July 2024 consultation response. A Ford representative appeared to advocate for a weaker van trajectory, while supporting the car trajectory with numerous exceptions for the UK Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate in a May 2023 UK consultation response found via FOI request. In a September 2023 UK consultation response, Ford supported the UK ZEV mandate with minor exceptions, and strongly supported the initial 2030 ICE phase-out date, advocating against a delay until 2035. In September 2023, following the UK government delaying its ICE-phase out policy from 2030 to 2035, a Ford executive publicly pushed back on delaying the policy in a statement reported by Sky News.
Industry Association Governance: Ford has disclosed aspects of its US political engagement, but has yet to release a disclosure covering political engagement globally. The company retains memberships to several oppositional trade associations including the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, German Automotive Association (VDA), the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Ford sits on the board of the US Chamber of Commerce, which has negative climate policy engagement. Ford was formerly a member of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA), which has highly negative US engagement on heavy-duty climate rules, but left the industry group in January 2023.
A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.