Technological evolution of electrification could bring Ford back to Brazil

Although it closed its activities in Brazil in 2021, Ford still has the country as the main market for some of its products in Latin America. Even though the automaker has no plans to return to manufacturing here, the hypothesis is not completely ruled out – according to a brand executive, the technological evolution of electrification could help.

Rogelio Golfarb, vice president of Ford in South America, is betting on this. According to him, the Chinese dominated electric cars because they were faster and “jumped ahead”, while most countries “were still discussing whether electromobility would grow or not”, but Brazil has the opportunity to take a leading role, as long as it overcomes the slowness in this matter.

In an interview with Folha de S. Paulo, Goldfarb said that the presence of minerals is the great asset of Brazilian competitiveness, however, the entire process could be dragged down by the lack of clear policies for the development of battery technology.

We have no plans to return to producing in Brazil. But I have no doubt that, as the level of electrification technology grows, we will undoubtedly be evaluating local production.

Rogelio Golfarb, vice president of Ford in South America.

Brazil has the resources needed to produce batteries for electric cars, says Ford executive

According to him, Brazil faces the challenge of establishing a complete production chain, from extraction to processing and transformation of minerals used in batteries, such as lithium, manganese and copper, resources that are abundant in the country.

For Golfarb, this could position Brazil as a viable option in the market, which currently depends exclusively on China to supply battery and electric mobility technology.

“The electrification process is an opportunity to increase the industry’s share of GDP and increase the technological intensity of what we are producing here,” said the executive.

Read more:

When asked what type of policy Brazil could create to move in this direction, Goldfarb stated that the first thing is to understand that, regardless of whether the vehicle is a hybrid, flex hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric, this technology is necessary.

“Minerals are necessary. So, it’s investing in electromobility minerals. They are an ally of the vision of using ethanol in Brazil”, he said, adding that “there is no conflict, there is an association”.

Goldfarb also stated that this policy must guarantee a regulatory framework so that minerals can be extracted and create incentives so that they are not simply exported, but that the level of industrialization is raised through processing, “starting with battery elements and then evolving into a battery.”

He ends by saying highlighting the importance of having “a clear government policy, with a clear objective, well-defined phases and incentives in aspects in which we are not so competitive at the moment”.