Ford has announced 1,300 jobs are being cut from its UK business as part of a Europe-wide overhaul of the carmaker.
The cuts are being made as part of a plan to cull 3,800 jobs across Europe over the next three years.
It comes as the carmaker focusses its attention on electric vehicles, with it saying last year that it will no longer make the fiesta, the UK’s best-selling car.
Ford was explicit in saying the business restructuring is happening due to the transition to fully electric and the reduced vehicle complexity. It aims to have an electric-only fleet in Europe by 2035.
The job losses come as Ford prepares “to compete and win in a highly competitive region that is facing significant economic and geo-political headwinds”, said the general manager of Ford model e in Europe, Martin Sander.
Cuts are to be made across varied sections of the business: 2,800 engineering are to go by 2025 and 1,000 jobs cuts will be made in the administrative, marketing, sales and distribution departments across Europe.
The company said it will engage with unions and workers groups across the continent to reduce headcount via voluntary redundancies.
Roughly 3,400 engineering jobs will remain, focused on vehicle design, development and technology.
Mr Sander pledged his support to workers and building a future for the business in Europe.
“These are difficult decisions, not taken lightly. We recognize the uncertainty it creates for our team, and I assure them we will be offering them our full support in the months ahead,” he said.
“We will engage in consultations with our social partners so we can move forward together on building a thriving future for our business in Europe.”
The Ford brand is being completely reinvented in Europe, he said. A portfolio of smaller, more focused, and increasingly electric vehicles are being produced.
Production of Ford’s first European-built electric car is to start later this year.