New York, Feb 6, 2026, 08:13 ET — Premarket
Ford Motor shares dipped 0.7% to $13.72 in premarket trading Friday, maintaining a cautious vibe as a busy week looms for automakers. The stock had closed at $13.82 Thursday.
This shift is crucial as investors wrestle with Ford’s next steps: the extent of its hybrid push, the pace of EV budget cuts, and which partnerships could bridge tech gaps without straining the balance sheet.
Reuters reported Wednesday that Ford and China’s Geely are discussing a possible partnership. The deal might involve Geely using Ford’s European factory space and sharing vehicle tech, including automated driving systems. Ford commented, “We have discussions with lots of companies all the time… Sometimes they materialize, sometimes they don’t.” 1
Ford’s January U.S. sales figures brought new data into the mix. Total vehicle sales slipped 5.3%, landing at 135,362 units. Electric vehicle sales took a bigger hit, plunging 69.2% to just 1,743. Hybrids also saw a decline, down 6.1% to 12,485. The company’s release detailed sharp drops for key models: the Mustang Mach-E sales fell 70.5%, while the F-150 Lightning tumbled 66.1%. 2
Washington is shifting the calculations. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which includes Ford, supported the Trump administration’s plan to roll back U.S. fuel-economy standards. They claimed the earlier targets were “simply unachievable” due to slower EV sales and less robust policy backing. 3
Sentiment across the sector soured after Stellantis revealed 22.2 billion euros ($26.5 billion) in charges linked to scaling back its EV plans. CEO Antonio Filosa acknowledged the writedowns stemmed from “overestimating the pace of the energy transition.” Gartner analyst Pedro Pacheco cautioned the industry might be risking “overreaction” by pulling back so sharply from electric vehicles. 4
A writedown is an accounting charge that lowers the reported value of assets when anticipated returns drop. Reuters reported that global automakers have recorded roughly $55 billion in EV-related writedowns over the past year. Ford, for its part, revealed a planned $19.5 billion writedown alongside a move back toward gas and hybrid vehicles. 5
Early trading saw pressure on other auto and EV stocks. General Motors dropped roughly 3.5%, while Tesla slid around 2.2%.
The takeaway for Ford isn’t straightforward. Their tie-up with a Chinese automaker might hit roadblocks, face political resistance, or get tangled in complex regulations on connected-vehicle tech. Plus, slower EV sales often follow trends — Ford risks trimming too deeply if demand rebounds quicker than anticipated.
Investors are keeping an eye on fundamentals: U.S. pricing and incentives, shifts in the mix between trucks, hybrids and EVs, and if cost reductions reflect in margins instead of just making headlines.
Ford’s set to report its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 10, with earnings out at 4:05 p.m. ET and a management call following at 5 p.m. ET. Investors will be tuning in closely for 2026 guidance, updates on EV spending discipline, and any news on partnership negotiations. 6
