Latest news with #LisaBrankin
Irish Independent
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
The Big Tech Show: From cookery demos to Ford's first female UK-Ireland boss, Lisa Brankin has a plan to revive Ford's sales with EVs
Lisa Brankin, chair and managing director of Ford in Britain and Ireland, joins Adrian Weckler on this episode of the Big Tech Show. The managing director grew up in county Antrim just outside Lisburn and used to help her father at work, who was a self-employed coal merchant. Lisa Brankin attended the University of Ulster in Jordanstown and studied home economics. The Antrim native went on to work for British Gas as a home service advisor where she did cooking demonstrations. However, the managing director made the move to Ford because she said she was fed up being called a professional housewife. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Ford Chief Lisa Brankin on accelerating the switch to EVs
New electric vehicle sales here dipped last year by 24% when compared to 2023, further making a mockery of the government's target of 1 million EVs on Irish roads by 2030. A reduction in the SEAI grant and gaps in charging infrastructure fed into consumer uncertainty when it comes to making the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles. But that trend looks to be reversing this year, something that Lisa Brankin, chairman and managing director of Ford UK & Ireland, will be keen to see accelerate. She joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss the challenges of going electric, her plans for the company's future, and the launch of Ford Power Promise across Ford's range of electric cars in Ireland. READ MORE Also on this week's episode of Inside Business, AIB's Economic Outlook Report for May highlights how global uncertainty and an escalation in trade tariffs could lead to a slowdown in global and Irish growth in 2025 and 2026. That said, the report also points out that the Irish economy has built up a certain level of resilience to withstand a potential trade shock in the short term. AIB Chief Economist David McNamara went through the risk US tariffs and future US tax policy pose, and the outlook for 2025 and 2026. Produced by John Casey and Suzanne Brennan with JJ Vernon on sound.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Ford hopes to lure new EV buyers with cost-saving incentives
Ford is hoping to overcome some of the biggest barriers to buying electric cars with a new incentive programme offering a free home charging wall box with installation, an eight-year/160,000-kilometre battery warranty, a free five-year service plan and courtesy rescue towing if drivers run out of charge. The car giant surveyed 5,000 drivers across Europe and found concerns over charging and battery life were deterring motorists from purchasing EVs. Ford's Power Promise aims to ease those concerns for buyers of its 252-registered EVs and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models. According to Ford's Managing Director for Britain and Ireland Lisa Brankin: 'Switching into an electric vehicle for the first time can be a daunting prospect for some drivers, so Ford has decided to simplify and de-stress the entire ownership experience by launching a one-of-a-kind promise to new electric car buyers.' Pointing to some of the features in Ford's new package, Brankin says: 'We've got five years' free servicing of the EV, but along with that comes roadside assistance, and if you happen to run out of charge on the road, you'll be recovered to the nearest charging point to your home.' READ MORE She says a lot of potential EV buyers are concerned about charging, about what happens if they break down and about the life of the battery pack. 'Hopefully, this new package will take away that element of concern.' Alongside the savings in servicing costs and peace of mind from the battery warranty, Brankin points to significant savings in everyday running costs that can be made through home charging. On discounted night rates, Ford estimates its new Puma Gen-E will cost approximately €12.26 to fully charge. Brankin accepts that even with the offer, it doesn't solve the challenges faced by some, such as urban owners who don't have access to off-street parking and home charging. These issues limit EV adoption, and for this to be rectified, she says it requires local authority planning and infrastructure alignment. She points to Norway, where the target of mass EV adoption was set, and all other relevant policies had to align with this goal. 'Any country that wants EV adoption really has to have that kind of joined-up strategy,' she says. 'So, you don't build a new property without a charger, and you don't create office space without chargers. Every bit of what they've done has been joined together. So any country that wants to emulate that switch to electrification has to do the same.' Ford has significantly increased its sales of fully-electric new cars in Ireland this year, with 370 registrations to date Ford has significantly increased its sales of fully-electric new cars in Ireland this year, with 370 registrations to date, up from just 15 for the same period last year. However, it's still outpaced by rivals, ranking just 12th in the new EV market in Ireland, well behind Volkswagen with its 1,800 new EVs sold so far this year. In the overall new car market, Ford sits in 11th place, quite some way from the top five position it held for most of the previous decades. In its place in the top tier have come brands like Hyundai and Kia. This is in stark contrast to its dominance of the commercial vehicle market, where it has held top spot over the last decade. In many ways, commercial vehicles have been the saviour for Ford in Europe, while its corporate structure underwent a major restructuring, including job cuts at its Irish operation in Cork. This coincided with a major overhaul of its passenger car line-up. Out went household names like the Fiesta, Mondeo and, from later this year, the Focus. In their place comes a smaller fleet of mostly electric crossovers. 'We've made no secret of the fact that commercial vehicles are the foundation of our business across Europe and that's what our that's what our focus is across the whole of Europe. And then we need a sustainable passenger vehicle business that's that sits alongside that. 'You can't have a bit that makes money, and a bit that loses money - that doesn't make sense. We need to have both sides of the business that are sustainable.' Sustainable profitability is Brankin's mantra for the Ford brand, but she hopes to see sales volumes improve across both commercial and passenger markets over the next four years. 'I'd like to see us still be the commercial vehicle leader, and I'd like us to be comfortably in the top five of the EV market; hopefully by then we'll have a really good strategy in Ireland around the transition to EVs.' Ford's transition to a successful electric future hit a bump with the recall earlier this year when some owners of Kuga plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were told not to plug them in as a battery defect could cause them to catch fire. Ford has now issued a software update that will act as an early warning system on the potentially affected cars. Would it not make sense to recall these cars and replace the battery packs? 'The rework has gone live, so customers should be contacted and asked to book in their vehicles to have their rework completed. The instance of any failure is extremely small,' says Brankin. 'The actual incidences across Europe and globally are incredibly small, so the warning system will give adequate notice, but we think that the failure rate is expected to be extremely small.' Looking to software to save the day is also a feature of Ford's future plan, as it aspires to be as much a tech company as a car maker. Brankin says they've made significant inroads towards a software-as-a-service provider for commercial fleets. 'I think we've had some success with selling software to businesses and fleets, but that's very much driven by the businesses and how they are structured. We're seeing how we can be more proactive in interventions with vehicles to keep them in the best condition.' For now, though, the focus is on reassuring its potential car buyers that making the leap to electric is less of a gamble than they might suspect.
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- BreakingNews.ie
Ford hopes to lure new EV buyers with cost-saving incentives
Ford is hoping to overcome some of the biggest barriers to buying electric cars with a new incentive programme offering a free home charging wall box with installation, an eight-year/160,000-kilometre battery warranty, a free five-year service plan and courtesy rescue towing if drivers run out of charge. The car giant surveyed 5,000 drivers across Europe and found concerns over charging and battery life were deterring motorists from purchasing EVs. Ford's Power Promise aims to ease those concerns for buyers of its 252-registered EVs and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models. Advertisement According to Ford's Managing Director for Britain and Ireland Lisa Brankin: 'Switching into an electric vehicle for the first time can be a daunting prospect for some drivers, so Ford has decided to simplify and de-stress the entire ownership experience by launching a one-of-a-kind promise to new electric car buyers.' Pointing to some of the features in Ford's new package, Brankin says: 'We've got five years' free servicing of the EV, but along with that comes roadside assistance, and if you happen to run out of charge on the road, you'll be recovered to the nearest charging point to your home.' She says a lot of potential EV buyers are concerned about charging, about what happens if they break down and about the life of the battery pack. 'Hopefully, this new package will take away that element of concern.' Alongside the savings in servicing costs and peace of mind from the battery warranty, Brankin points to significant savings in everyday running costs that can be made through home charging. On discounted night rates, Ford estimates its new Puma Gen-E will cost approximately €12.26 to fully charge. Advertisement Brankin accepts that even with the offer, it doesn't solve the challenges faced by some, such as urban owners who don't have access to off-street parking and home charging. These issues limit EV adoption, and for this to be rectified, she says it requires local authority planning and infrastructure alignment. She points to Norway, where the target of mass EV adoption was set, and all other relevant policies had to align with this goal. 'Any country that wants EV adoption really has to have that kind of joined-up strategy,' she says. 'So, you don't build a new property without a charger, and you don't create office space without chargers. Every bit of what they've done has been joined together. So any country that wants to emulate that switch to electrification has to do the same.' Ford has significantly increased its sales of fully-electric new cars in Ireland this year, with 370 registrations to date, up from just 15 for the same period last year. However, it's still outpaced by rivals, ranking just 12th in the new EV market in Ireland, well behind Volkswagen with its 1,800 new EVs sold so far this year. Advertisement In the overall new car market, Ford sits in 11th place, quite some way from the top five position it held for most of the previous decades. In its place in the top tier have come brands like Hyundai and Kia. This is in stark contrast to its dominance of the commercial vehicle market, where it has held top spot over the last decade. In many ways, commercial vehicles have been the saviour for Ford in Europe, while its corporate structure underwent a major restructuring, including job cuts at its Irish operation in Cork. This coincided with a major overhaul of its passenger car line-up. Out went household names like the Fiesta, Mondeo and, from later this year, the Focus. In their place comes a smaller fleet of mostly electric crossovers. Advertisement 'We've made no secret of the fact that commercial vehicles are the foundation of our business across Europe and that's what our that's what our focus is across the whole of Europe. And then we need a sustainable passenger vehicle business that's that sits alongside that. 'You can't have a bit that makes money, and a bit that loses money - that doesn't make sense. We need to have both sides of the business that are sustainable.' Sustainable profitability is Brankin's mantra for the Ford brand, but she hopes to see sales volumes improve across both commercial and passenger markets over the next four years. 'I'd like to see us still be the commercial vehicle leader, and I'd like us to be comfortably in the top five of the EV market; hopefully by then we'll have a really good strategy in Ireland around the transition to EVs.' Ford's transition to a successful electric future hit a bump with the recall earlier this year when some owners of Kuga plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were told not to plug them in as a battery defect could cause them to catch fire. Advertisement Ford has now issued a software update that will act as an early warning system on the potentially affected cars. Would it not make sense to recall these cars and replace the battery packs? 'The rework has gone live, so customers should be contacted and asked to book in their vehicles to have their rework completed. The instance of any failure is extremely small,' says Brankin. Lifestyle Leapmotor joins the Chinese ranks in Ireland in Se... Read More 'The actual incidences across Europe and globally are incredibly small, so the warning system will give adequate notice, but we think that the failure rate is expected to be extremely small.' Looking to software to save the day is also a feature of Ford's future plan, as it aspires to be as much a tech company as a car maker. Brankin says they've made significant inroads towards a software-as-a-service provider for commercial fleets. 'I think we've had some success with selling software to businesses and fleets, but that's very much driven by the businesses and how they are structured. We're seeing how we can be more proactive in interventions with vehicles to keep them in the best condition.' For now, though, the focus is on reassuring its potential car buyers that making the leap to electric is less of a gamble than they might suspect.
Irish Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish Ford Kuga owners issued with urgent fire defect warning
Ford is set to implement early warning software to over 2,500 Kuga models across Ireland, following a defect which could cause some plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models to short-circuit and catch fire while on the move. The US carmaker issued a recall notice in March, affecting thousands of motorists. While no Irish incidents have been reported, the early warning software is expected to be available here in at least ten days - until then, Kuga drivers are instructed to refrain from charging their cars, and to drive only in 'Auto EV' mode to avoid further short-circuits. If a short-circuit occurs while driving, owners will be shown a 'Stop Safely Now' message and a warning light in the instrument cluster. A loss of power might also be experienced, although other electronic controls will remain operational, as well as the steering and brakes. 'To all of our affected customers, we're really sorry that an issue has occurred with the Ford Kuga PHEV battery," said managing director of Ford UK and Ireland Lisa Brankin. "Our engineers are working closely with the supplier of the affected part, and are putting all of their resources into perfecting a software update to remedy the issue." Brankin describes the software fix as giving the car's battery energy control module "enhanced capability to detect cell anomalies indicative of separator damage, providing advance warning to owners of a high-voltage battery issue before thermal venting occurs." "In the event of anomaly detection, dealers will replace the vehicle's high voltage battery pack." Currently, Ford dealers in Ireland are offering complimentary "Kuga PHEV Check-Ups" until the software updates are rolled out. The check-up consists of a 29-point inspection including wheels, tyres, brakes and wheel bearings, steering and a Ford Video Check - a video report of the car's inspection sent to the owner's phone. In addition, Ford has extended the warranty on all high-voltage Kuga parts to ten years or 240,000 kilometres for all affected PHEV models. "Resolving this issue speedily and expertly is our priority, and while our engineering and software team fully focuses on that we will continue to monitor vehicles in operation," said Brankin. "Only a very small number of vehicles on the road worldwide have reported an issue with battery thermal venting with zero reported issues in Ireland." Only the latest third-generation Kuga is affected by these issues. The model suffered another unrelated recall shortly after going on sale in 2020, after seven models caught fire while charging. The fourth-generation Ford Focus is based on the same platform as the Kuga, but is thought to be unaffected. Customers with further concerns are asked to contact Ford's Customer Relationship team on 1800 771 199, between the hours of 09:00 and 17:00, Monday to Friday.
