The leading car makers in the U.S. and Europe are both pivoting to electric vehicles, so which is the better investment: Ford or Volkswagen?
Sept. 29, 2021
Ford (NYSE: F) has had the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for the last 43 years in its F-Series truck. Its electric counterpart, the F-150 Lightning electric pickup is scheduled to be released in Q1 of 2022 and has already secured 150,000 reservations. Little wonder, as the base model is only $40,000 and people are very comfortable with the Ford brand.
Since the 1980s, Volkswagen (OTCMKTS: VWAPY) has had, aside from a few flukes, the top-selling vehicle in Europe via its Golf model. Not only that, but the company also has the two top-selling electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe with its ID.4 and ID.3 lines, no doubt also bolstered by its long standing in the marketplace. With EVs poised to overtake the traditional combustible engine market in the coming decades, which is a better investment right now: Ford or Volkswagen?
Ford: the bulls and the bears:
The company announced that 40% of all vehicles it sells will be electric by 2030 and to do this it has increased its EV budget through 2025 to $30 billion. As per its last quarterly report (Q2 2021), EV and hybrid sales are up 117% year-over-year (YoY), an all-time record for the company. The first company to release an EV truck is Rivian (this month) and Ford invested half a billion in the firm in 2019, securing a position in the first-to-market brand that is expected to IPO next year.
The entire car industry has been hit by a microchip shortage which is putting constraints on the production of all vehicles. Additionally, other companies, like GM, are more ambitious in their EV plans, planning to be fully carbon-neutral by 2035.
Volkswagen: the bulls and the bears:
Already the EV leader in Europe, Volkswagen has great designs for the future like increasing all EV sales to 20% of its entire volume by 2025 (roughly two million cars). Also, it plans to have a total of 70 EV lines and 60 hybrid models by 2030. The company is also constantly striving to reduce battery costs which it plans on shrinking by 50% in the coming years. Moreover, Volkswagen is investing in infrastructure for charging and is planning on operating 18,000 stations in Europe and 17,000 in China by 2025. Its sales will continue to grow thanks to its status as a legacy automaker that customers are more comfortable with than a new company like Tesla with its unconventional leadership.
Just as with Ford, Volkswagen’s sales will suffer thanks to the global chip shortage.
So, which is the better investment right now?
Both companies are solid investments and are making serious investments in their EV futures, but if forced to choose, I’d take a position in the cheaper-priced Ford.
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