巴黎——福特汽车新任命的欧洲地区最高主管去年冬天向经销商披露了一些新车的设计，这些车型灵感来源于赛车，公司计划在本十年末之前推出。
PARIS—Ford Motor’s newly minted top executive for Europe gave dealers a sneak peek last winter of some new, racing-inspired vehicles the company plans to sell by the end of the decade.
经销商们看到了几款引人注目的紧凑型电动汽车、两款混合动力跨界车以及一款适用于欧洲市场的硬朗小型Bronco SUV的设计图。离开前，一位经销商在留给福特欧洲总裁吉姆·鲍姆比克的便利贴上写下了一句简单的话：“我们回来了。”但还有很长的路要走。过去十年，欧洲汽车销量下降了36%，受到中国竞争的挤压。欧洲对更环保汽车的严格规定以及工厂利用率不足侵蚀了利润空间。而福特复兴计划的成果仍需数年才能显现。
Dealers saw designs of striking compact electric cars, two hybrid crossovers and a rugged, small Bronco SUV for the region. Before leaving, one dealer scratched out a simple message on a Post-it note left for Ford Europe President Jim Baumbick: “We are back.”It has a long way to go. The last decade saw auto sales decline 36%, squeezed by Chinese competition. Strict European regulations for greener cars and underused factories drained the bottom line. And the fruits of Ford’s comeback plan are still years away.
但鲍姆比克及其团队相信，这一计划——与福特在美国的调整后战略相呼应——有可能让生产科蒂纳和福特车型等经典车型的制造商重回巅峰。不再生产乏味、难以区分的汽车。通过怀旧福特的赛车传统来增加趣味性。与其他汽车制造商合作以降低成本。加大对商用车的投入，如货车，这已经是一个健康的业务板块。
But Baumbick and his team believe that plan, which mirrors Ford’s revised American strategy, could put the maker of icons like the Cortina and Escort back on top. No more boring, indistinguishable cars. Dial up the fun, in part by leaning in to nostalgia for Ford’s motor-sports heritage. Partner with other automakers to reduce costs. Double down on commercial vehicles, like vans, already a healthy business line.
“我们推进的速度比历史上任何时候都要快得多，”鲍姆比克说。“我们需要能够以中国的速度竞争。”尽管鲍姆比克对经销商的信息令人振奋，但它也是对耐心的呼吁。
“We are doing this at a clock speed that’s way faster than we historically would have,” Baumbick said. “We need to be able to compete at China speed.”Exciting as Baumbick’s message was to dealers, it was also a plea for patience.
与法国雷诺共同开发的两款小型电动汽车要到2028年才会上市。三款新车型，包括在中国吉利合资公司在西班牙福特利用率不足的工厂生产的一款车型，将在2029年底前推出。
Two small electric cars developed with France’s Renault won’t go on sale until 2028. Three new models, including a vehicle produced via a joint venture with China’s Geely at Ford’s underused factory in Spain, arrive by the end of 2029.
这意味着福特正在向欧洲客户兜售未来，而竞争对手则在推广当下的产品。上周的巴黎车展上，大多数汽车品牌展示了数十款目前正在销售的新车型，从超快充电的电动汽车到豪华三排SUV。
This means Ford is pitching European customers the future while competitors are touting the present. At last week’s Paris Motor Show, most car brands displayed dozens of new vehicles on sale now, ranging from superfast-charging EVs to luxurious three-row SUVs.
福特的展台相对安静。福特法国总裁圣地亚哥·塞恩斯试图尽力发挥他的表演天赋，在繁忙的展厅里为品牌造势，旁边是比亚迪高端品牌和华为支持的新进入者爱图的高科技豪华车型。
Ford’s stand was comparatively quiet. Santiago Sainz, president of Ford France, tried to do his best showman routine, puffing up the brand in a busy exhibit hall alongside high-tech luxury models from BYD’s premium brand and Huawei-backed newcomer Aito.
这就是为什么法国一家福特经销商的新车销售经理大卫·西蒙内蒂欢迎未来车型。上周末，他位于巴黎西部的展厅门口停放着一辆电动Mustang Mach-E跨界车。展厅内的一辆福特Ranger皮卡引擎盖上还戴着一顶牛仔帽。
It is why David Simonetti, new-car sales manager at a Ford dealer in France, welcomes the future vehicles. On a recent weekend, his showroom west of Paris featured an electric Mustang Mach-E crossover parked out front. A Ford Ranger truck inside had a cowboy hat on its hood.
西蒙内蒂指出了福特复兴计划的另一部分：对这些汽车动力方式的灵活性。其欧洲车型阵容以电动车为主，除了Puma和Kuga跨界车。“有些人不想要电动车，而我们只有两种选择，”西蒙内蒂说。
Simonetti hit on another part of Ford’s comeback plan: flexibility with what powers these cars. Its European car lineup is EV-heavy, save for the Puma and Kuga crossovers. “Some people don’t want an electric car, and we just have two choices,” Simonetti said.
在福特已经制造和销售汽车逾一个世纪的市场中，做好这一点对其利润至关重要。
Getting this right will be crucial for Ford’s bottom line in a market where it has made and sold cars for well over a century.
与如今在欧洲规模远小于过去几十年的跨城竞争对手通用汽车不同，福特高管表示他们希望继续在欧洲大陆销售汽车。首席执行官吉姆·法利经常指出，福特在美国境外销售的车辆数量与在美国本土相当，去年全球销量超过四百万辆。
Unlike crosstown rival General Motors, now much smaller in Europe than in decades past, Ford executives say they want to keep selling cars on the continent. Chief Executive Jim Farley routinely notes that Ford sells just as many vehicles outside of the U.S. as it does at home, topping four million globally last year.
欧洲的利润率一直很薄。2022年是福特最后一次单独列出其欧洲业务利润的年份，当年仅实现4700万美元利润，而2016年这一数字为12亿美元。
Margins in Europe have always been slim. In 2022, the last year Ford broke out earnings for its European operations, it posted a mere $47 million profit, down from $1.2 billion in 2016.
曾在2000年代初在福特欧洲工作的汽车设计师马克·塔林表示，该公司在一个与美国截然不同的市场中一直缺乏明确方向。在美国，福特依靠大型皮卡和SUV的销售蓬勃发展；而在欧洲，它常常难以使其小型车产品在众多竞争对手中脱颖而出。“一直都在寻找一个强烈的身份认同，”塔林说。
Marc Tarling, an automotive designer who worked at Ford in Europe in the early 2000s, said the company hasn’t had a clear direction in a market drastically different from the U.S. At home, Ford thrives on sales of large trucks and SUVs. In Europe, it has often struggled to distinguish its small-car offerings from scores of competitors. “There was always a little bit of searching for a strong identity,” Tarling said.
当法利在2020年担任首席执行官时，他迅速着手彻底改革公司的欧洲业务，将该地区的员工人数削减了一半。
When Farley took the CEO job in 2020, he set about quickly overhauling the company’s European business, slashing the region’s workforce in half.
鲍姆比克去年接任福特欧洲总裁一职，他表示精简化是必要的。公司必须在竞争激烈的市场中脱颖而出。它也不再能依赖车辆达到临界规模。
Baumbick, who took over as Ford Europe’s president a year ago, said the streamlining has been necessary. The company has to stand out in a crowded field. It also can’t count on vehicles hitting critical mass anymore.
“你现在必须以一种方式来规模化你的业务、运营方式和投资，使你能够在较低的产量水平上竞争，”鲍姆比克说。
“You now have to size your business, the way you operate, and your investments, in a way that you can compete at lower levels of volume,” Baumbick said.
福特高管认为，通过开发强调其作为世界拉力锦标赛（WRC）长期支柱的过去的新车型，福特将获得优势。WRC是一项赛车系列，其街道合法版汽车会在越野赛道上竞技。
Ford executives think it will gain an edge by developing new cars that emphasize its past as a stalwart of the World Rally Championship, a racing series that has versions of street-legal cars competing on off-road courses.
在WRC中，经过改装的福特轿跑车和掀背车数十年来赢得冠军并收获粉丝。福特正支持该赛车系列在2028年回归，而负责该项目的团队将直接参与即将投产车型的性能和操控性设计。这种传统可能使福特在众多新进入的中国品牌中脱颖而出。
In the WRC, souped-up Ford coupes and hatchbacks secured titles and won fans for decades. Ford is backing a return to the racing series in 2028, and the team behind it will have direct input on performance and handling on upcoming production vehicles. That heritage might set Ford apart from a sea of newcomer Chinese brands.
法国经销商卢多维克·德·方贝勒表示，公司在其销售的产品中需要这种差异化。福特已经依赖大众硬件开发的电动汽车，而其他车型在市场中并未脱颖而出。自他大约十年前收购经销商店以来，销售一直在下滑。
Ludovic de Fombelle, a French dealer, said the company needs that kind of differentiation in what it sells. Ford already depends on EVs developed with Volkswagen hardware, and other models haven’t stood out in the landscape. Sales have sagged since he bought his dealerships about a decade ago.
“我越来越难以入睡，”他在巴黎车展侧边的采访中说。他是那些得以一窥未来汽车计划并因此感到鼓舞的经销商之一。“我确信福特在欧洲有其立足之地，”他说。
“I can sleep less and less,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the Paris show. He was among the dealers who got a glimpse of the future car plans and came away encouraged. “I’m convinced that there is a place for Ford in Europe,” he said.
鲍姆比克大部分时间在伦敦和福特德国科隆的欧洲总部度过，他说他一直将经销商的便利贴贴在iPad上，以提醒自己即将面临的工作。
Baumbick, who spends much of his time in London and at Ford’s European headquarters in Cologne, Germany, said he has kept the dealer’s Post-it on his iPad as a reminder of the work ahead.
“我只有一个使命，”他说。“我被派到这里来，为未来100年在欧洲建立一个可持续且蓬勃发展的业务。”请写信至瑞恩·费尔顿，邮箱为ryan.felton@wsj.com。
“I have one mission,” he said. “I’ve been sent here to build a sustainable, thriving business in Europe for the next 100 years.”