Ford's UK boss demands 'substantial' taxpayer subsidies for electric vehicles as sales fall below 'aggressive' government targets to phase out petrol and diesel motors by 2030

Ford's UK boss has demanded a return of subsidies for electric cars that were scrapped in 2022 - as new figures show manufacturers are not on target to hit the Government's 22 per cent sales goal for this year. Lisa Brankin, chair of Ford UK and Ireland, says the Government needs to introduce 'substantial' subsidies to drive sales of electric vehicles She was speaking as she unveiled a new electric version of Ford's small SUV, the Puma Volkswagen workers walked out this week as the company mulled over factory closures for the first time in history as it struggled to sell EVs And Ms Brankin says there needs to be greater help from ministers to encourage people to invest in an electric future. Motoring trade body the SMMT said today electric car sales accounted for 25.1 per cent of all new car sales in November, the highest level in almost two years. Around 100,000 Volkswagen workers walked out in Germany on Monday after the company said it may close plants Legacy car manufacturers are facing competition from Chinese brands armed with cheap labour and government subsidies, such as BYD Ford's new electric Puma is the company's smallest car after it scrapped the Fiesta supermini New Automotive's ZEV tracker shows that JLR's parent company Tata and Toyota are the two manufacturers set to miss targets by the most Nissan, which launched the first mass-produced electric vehicle, the Leaf, in 2009, is among the companies in trouble. Experts say car manufacturers that invested early and often into electric technology, such as Audi, were performing best in the market The Nissan Leaf was the first modern mass produced electric car - but Andy Palmer, who led the project, said he was disappointed by its uptake 15 years ago Car buyers are still worried about 'range anxiety' and the availability of chargers to keep EVs topped up Amid concerns over the ZEV mandate, the Government held crunch talks with manufacturers following the announcement that the Vauxhall plant in Luton was set to close.