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Ford is in electric-vehicle retreat mode.

The company has cancelled more electric models than it’s introduced, axing a planned three-row electric SUV, an E-Transit successor, an all-electric F-150 Lightning successor and the current F-150 Lightning. But the company isn’t giving up. Instead, it is focusing its efforts on an all-new EV architecture built by its “skunkworks” team, which it says will underpin its future affordable EV efforts. 

Well, at least all of its efforts in America. Despite being dubbed the “Universal Electric Vehicle” platform, it may not even make it halfway across our planet. Ford still hasn’t decided if it will come to Europe, Automotive News reported Tuesday. 

Bringing it across the Atlantic would be a “very significant undertaking in terms of engineering and capital intensity,” Ford Europe President Jim Baumbick told journalists, per Automotive News. On its face, that makes some sense; the first vehicle on the platform will be a roughly $30,000 electric pickup truck. Pickups are far less popular in Europe than in the U.S., and it’s not surprising that the company is unsure about whether to bring it over.

However, the platform will also underpin several other EV models, including compact SUVs. That’s why it’s surprising that the entire program may not make it to Europe. 

CEO Jim Farley added that the company has not ruled out bringing it over, but doesn’t want to over-promise before the Universal EV (UEV) platform launches in the U.S. “We have not landed the plane yet,” Farley said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

He’s right, of course. The UEV platform is completely unproven. But considering it is the linchpin of Ford’s electric vehicle ambitions, and due out in less than two years, I’d expect a little more confidence here. Ford killed the electric Lightning. The Mach-E platform doesn’t seem destined for any new products. And nothing else appears to be in the pipeline. 

That means Ford’s EV future hinges on either the UEV platform or on partner-built products for Europe.

Ford already rebadges Volkswagen EVs on the MEB platform, and recently announced that Renault will build affordable EVs for the company to sell in Europe. But the sluggish sales of the VW-built Ford Explorer EV and Capri EV mean a stark warning: It’s very hard to maintain relevance in a market when your core products are built by someone else.

And make no mistake—EVs are core to a successful European strategy. Despite the company rolling back its EV mandate, regulators will still require automakers to reduce emissions by 90% by 2035, all but necessitating a strong EV lineup. Farley has also been one of the loudest voices warning of Chinese newcomer brands eating into established players’ global market share. That isn’t theoretical in Europe; it’s happening right now.  

By the 2030s, surely Ford will have more home-grown options. Yet the caution among executives represents a real inflection point for the brand. As America rolls back emissions requirements, Ford has to choose between prioritizing its profitable gas-truck business here and its shrinking global footprint. It wasn’t too long ago that Ford was crushing in Europe. These days, it’s barely relevant. 

Maybe the Renault partnership can turn its fortunes around. But the core problem that undercut the Explorer and Capri remains: If you’re going to buy a European EV built in Europe, why not buy it from the European brand that actually builds the product? 

Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com.