Ford boss calls for 'level playing field' as Chinese rivals flood UK with cheap cars

See more This is Money on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Updated: 07:59 EDT, 14 September 2026 The European boss of US car maker Ford has called for a ‘level playing field’ in the battle against cheap Chinese cars flooding the UK market.Jim Baumbick suggested that policy makers could do more to recognise the value of traditional manufacturers in Britain and Europe employing thousands of people as they face the threat.Without that, he said, Ford – which has major sites in Germany and Spain as well as the UK – would have to ‘do what is necessary’ to remain profitable.Ford, which employs more than 5,000 people in the UK and has been in Britain for more than a century, is among established car makers being squeezed by the advance of Chinese brands such as BYD.There have been complaints that the competition is unfair due to heavy state subsidies and the ability of companies to produce cars at much lower cost in China. Jim Baumbick is President of Ford in EuropeIt comes at the expense of Europe’s manufacturing base – notably in Germany, where giant car firm Volkswagen has axed 100,000 jobs.And while the EU has levied tariffs on Chinese imports to battle the threat, Britain has been more open and has seen a steep increase in sales by Chinese brands.Baumbick said: ‘I would always invite competition, I think competition breeds excellence. But it needs to be a fair playing ground. You would never start a football match with different numbers of personnel on each side.‘I think regulators across Europe and in the UK need to actually create a level playing field for all OEMs [manufacturers] to compete and serve the domestic agenda for Europe and the UK.’Asked whether there might be less investment in the UK unless the government takes a tougher stance with China, he said: ‘We’re always looking at the fitness of our business. We have to recognise the context of the business environment.‘I have one overarching objective and that is to build a sustainably profitable business for the next 100 years – so I have to do what is necessary to actually do that, to have a thriving, sustainable business.‘Do I think that regulators need to see the value in the local continued investment and our commitment to the UK and to Europe? You bet.’To compete on cost, Ford is partnering with rivals such as Volkswagen and Renault – and even China’s Geely, with which it has launched a joint venture at the Ford plant in Valencia in Spain.Baumbick, speaking to the Mail at the Madrid Grand Prix after Ford’s return to F1 racing as part of the Red Bull team set-up, also called for changes for UK rules forcing the switch to electric cars.He said the current rules represented ‘the most aggressive EV mandates on the planet’.Labour last month announced a consultation on the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.Under current rules, car makers must ratchet up the proportion of electric vehicles they sell, with a goal of hitting 80pc by 2030. But they are running behind so far, with only one in four new cars registered so far this year being electric, falling short of the 33pc target for 2026.Baumbick said: ‘The current trajectory is disconnected from reality. That needs to change quickly starting in 2027.’Rather than calling for the ultimate date to be pushed back, he called for recognition that some motorists anxious about going electric might want to switch to hybrids first before moving to fully battery powered cars.‘We have to be honest about partial electrification… some customers will jump right to an EV – one step – other customers will take two steps, they’ll move to partial electrification, then do an EV,’ Baumbick argued.DIY INVESTING PLATFORMSAJ BellAJ BellEasy investing and ready-made portfoliosHargreaves LansdownHargreaves LansdownFree fund dealing and investment ideasinteractive investorinteractive investorFlat-fee investing from £4.99 per monthFreetradeFreetradeInvesting Isa now free on basic planTrading 212Trading 212Free share dealing and no account feeAffiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.Compare the best investing account for you