Flexibility and Efficiency Are a Must

In the early spring days, we met with the Vice President of Ford Trucks, Mr. Emrah Duman, to discuss topics that have increasingly moved the world of the automotive industry in recent months, especially in the heavy truck segment.

• What was the past year like for you in terms of the production and sale of Ford heavy-duty trucks on the European and global markets?

The past year was shaped by a complex and fast-changing environment, including economic uncertainty, supply chain volatility, cost pressures and increasing regulatory requirements, especially in Europe. Despite these challenges, as Ford Trucks, we maintained production continuity by staying flexible, focusing on operational efficiency and working in close coordination across our network.

In terms of sales, market dynamics varied across regions. In Europe, stricter regulations and the growing focus on efficiency and emissions played a key role. In response, we continued to align our product portfolio with market expectations, focusing on fuel efficiency, safety technologies and sustainability.

In global markets, particularly in regions driven by infrastructure development and logistics growth, demand remained strong. In these markets, durability, reliability and total cost of ownership continue to be the main priorities for customers.

Overall, we strengthened our presence in Europe while maintaining our established footprint in global markets, with a clear focus on operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and sustainable growth.

• Could you say something about your company's production and sales results from the perspective of the European and non-European markets?

Over the past year, our production and sales performance showed clear differences between European and non-European markets, reflecting varying regional priorities and market conditions.

In Europe, we focused on strategic growth, expanding our dealer and service network and increasing brand visibility to meet customer expectations and maintain a stable market position.

As Ford Trucks, Europe remains a key growth region for us.

Non-European markets continued to represent a substantial share of our business, supported by long-standing customer relationships and established distribution structures. With our strong engineering capabilities and flexible product range, we were able to respond effectively to regional needs, with demand driven by infrastructure development and growing logistics activity in several markets.

Overall, our approach balances geographic diversification with market-specific product positioning, allowing us to respond flexibly to different market dynamics.

• Do you feel that your position as a heavy-duty truck manufacturer based outside the EU is advantageous? And in what way?

Operating outside the EU can provide certain strategic advantages, especially when combined with full alignment with European standards and customer expectations.

From our perspective, this position allows for greater operational flexibility and faster decision-making, particularly in areas such as production planning and engineering priorities. It also enables us to leverage insights from both European and non-European markets, creating a broader and more adaptive approach.

At the same time, as Ford Trucks, we fully comply with EU regulations, where regulatory frameworks and tools such as VECTO play a critical role, particularly in emissions, safety, and overall performance. Our strength lies in combining global engineering capability, cost efficiency, and production flexibility with strict European standards. ¨

This combination creates a clear competitive advantage. It allows us to offer reliable, well-engineered vehicles that meet demanding regulations while remaining efficient and adaptable.

In that sense, being based outside the EU is not a limitation, but an opportunity to operate with a broader perspective while staying fully aligned with the European market and its future transformation.

• Diesel engines are still the choice of more than 97 % of heavy-duty truck (HDV) customers. What is your opinion on the electrification of HDVs?

It is true that diesel engines still account for most of the heavy-duty truck usage today. This reflects the current realities of the sector, where long-haul operations, infrastructure limitations and total cost considerations continue to make diesel the most practical solution for many customers.

At the same time, electrification is a key part of the industry’s long-term transformation. Rather than a single, universal solution, we see it as a gradual and use-case-driven transition. Applications such as urban distribution, short routes and predictable regional operations are more suitable for electrification and are likely lead to this change.

As Ford Trucks, we approach this transformation with a focus on technological neutrality and realism. It is important to balance sustainability goals with customer expectations around reliability, range and operational efficiency.

This means continuing to improve the efficiency and emissions performance of diesel technologies in the near term, while also investing in alternative powertrains for the future.

In short, electrification is not a question of “if,” but “when and where.” The transition needs to be economically viable, operationally practical and supported by the right infrastructure

• In your opinion, is there such a strong, even somewhat hysterical, preference for electric HDV drives among some final manufacturers?

The industry is clearly going through a major transformation, and, naturally, different manufacturers communicate their strategies in different ways.

From our perspective, the transition to zero-emission transport should be guided by realism and practicality. Electrification plays an important role, particularly in specific use cases and regions.

At the same time, customer decisions are still driven by key operational factors such as reliability, range, payload capacity, infrastructure availability and total cost of ownership. These realities need to remain at the centre of the transition.

As Ford Trucks, we believe in a balanced and technology-neutral approach, where different solutions can coexist depending on the application and market conditions.

A successful transformation requires alignment between technological development, infrastructure readiness and customer economics, supported by long-term planning and a clear understanding of real-world transport needs.

• Do you perceive interest in BEV and FCEV HDV drives among your target group of end customers, and how strong is the interest?

We observe increasing interest in both battery-electric (BEV) and fuel cell electric (FCEV) heavy-duty truck solutions among our end customers.

Interest in BEV trucks are more concrete and application-driven today, particularly in urban distribution, short-distance and regional operations. In these use cases, route predictability, access to charging infrastructure and sustainability targets make electrification more feasible.

Interest in FCEV technology, on the other hand, is at a more exploratory stage. While customers recognize its potential—especially for long-haul operations—challenges related to hydrogen infrastructure, energy availability and total cost of ownership mean that adoption is still developing.

Overall, while diesel remains the dominant choice today, interest in alternative powertrains is clearly growing.

As Ford Trucks, we see this as a gradual, use case-led transition, where customer needs, operational realities and infrastructure readiness will determine the pace of adoption, and we continue to closely monitor these developments to shape our future roadmap.

• Which types of traffic of your end customers are most suitable for the implementation of electric drives?

Electric drives are best suited for operations where usage patterns are predictable and operational conditions are well defined.

The most suitable applications today are urban distribution and last-mile logistics, where vehicles operate on short, repetitive routes with frequent stops and return to a central depot. In these cases, limited daily range requirements and access to depot or overnight charging make electric solutions both technically and operationally viable.

Regional and short-distance transport with fixed routes also show strong potential, especially when charging can be planned around known schedules. These operations benefit from low noise levels and zero local emissions, which are increasingly important in urban and suburban environments.

By contrast, long-haul and heavy payload operations remain more challenging for full electrification at this stage, mainly due to range requirements, charging time, infrastructure availability and total cost of ownership.

As Ford Trucks, we believe that the success of electrification depends not only on the vehicle, but on the operating profile. The greatest value is achieved where routes are predictable, utilization is high and infrastructure is available or can be realistically developed. In line with this approach, we are preparing to introduce our electric truck models with production planned for next year.

• Are HDV autonomous driving systems a topic that would significantly affect the composition of Ford Otosan's offer in the near future?

Autonomous driving systems are an important topic for the heavy commercial vehicle industry. In the short to medium term, we see these technologies developing mainly through advanced driver assistance systems focused on safety, efficiency and driver support, which are already delivering tangible benefits and will continue to evolve gradually.

Fully autonomous HDV operation, especially in complex and open traffic environments, still faces significant challenges related to regulation, infrastructure readiness, liability and proven reliability.

For this reason, we do not expect full autonomy to fundamentally reshape our product portfolio in the near future.

As Ford Trucks, our priority is to enhance safety, productivity and operational efficiency through scalable and customer-relevant technologies, while approaching autonomous driving as a long-term and gradual transformation driven by real-world applicability.

• A reasonably large part of your production is aimed at construction operations. Is construction transport a segment of transportation in which we will see Ford BEV or FCEV heavy trucks in the near future?

Construction transport is a very important segment for us. At the same time, it remains one of the more challenging areas for electrification due to high energy demand, heavy and variable payloads, off-road usage and limited access to charging or refuelling infrastructure on-site.

For this reason, the near-term adoption of BEV and FCEV solutions in this segment is more limited and highly application-specific.

That said, construction transport should not be seen as excluded from electrification. Certain urban construction projects with short distances, predictable routes or strict local emissions requirements may become early use cases.

We see the transition in this segment as gradual, where electrified solutions will be adopted where they can deliver really operational and economic value, while efficient and low-emission conventional powertrains will continue to play an important role in the near term.

This is a segment where timing will be closely linked to infrastructure and technology readiness.

• Can the legislative and customer pressure for HDV electrification be compared in the different regions of the world where you sell your vehicles?

Legislative and customer pressure varies significantly across regions. In Europe, regulation is the primary driver, with emissions targets, CO₂ requirements and urban access restrictions strongly shaping both manufacturer strategies and customer expectations. In many cases, customers are responding to regulatory frameworks rather than leading the shift themselves.

In contrast, in many non-European markets, customer needs play a more decisive role than legislation. Purchasing decisions are still mainly driven by operational efficiency, reliability, capacity and total cost of ownership. While sustainability awareness is increasing, electrification is often seen as a longer-term consideration.

There are also mixed dynamics in some regions, where multinational customers with global sustainability commitments create demand for electrified solutions, even in markets where regulation is less advanced.

This regional diversity reinforces the need for a flexible and market-specific approach, where electrification strategies are aligned with local conditions, infrastructure readiness and customer expectations rather than applied uniformly.

• What is the biggest obstacle to HDV electrification from your perspective?

The biggest obstacle is not technology, but ecosystem readiness. Infrastructure remains the most critical factor. The availability of reliable charging and hydrogen refuelling networks is still limited in many regions, and without this, large-scale deployment is not feasible.

Closely linked to this is the question of total cost of ownership. Customers need to be confident that electrified solutions are economically viable across the full vehicle lifecycle, considering energy costs, infrastructure investment and operational impact.

In addition, operational realities such as range requirements, payload impact and vehicle utilization patterns continue to limit applicability in certain segments, particularly long-haul and construction transport.

Ultimately, electrification will scale only when technology, infrastructure, regulation and customer economics evolve together. Until then, adoption will remain gradual and application-specific rather than universal.

• Which of the world regions, in terms of the application of your HDV production, shows the highest willingness to electrify? In other words, where will we first see the application of Ford BEV or FCEV heavy trucks?

Willingness to electrify heavy-duty vehicles varies significantly by region and is closely linked to regulatory frameworks, infrastructure readiness and customer operating profiles.

At this stage, Europe shows the highest level of readiness, driven by stringent emissions regulations, strong policy support and increasing restrictions on conventional vehicles, particularly in urban and regional transport.

As a result, we expect the first wider applications of BEV heavy-duty trucks to emerge in Europe, especially in urban distribution and short-haul operations where conditions are more suitable. This makes Europe a natural starting point for the initial phase of electrification.

When it comes to FCEV technology, we see long-term potential on a more global scale, particularly in regions investing in hydrogen infrastructure. However, widespread adoption will depend on ecosystem maturity rather than geography alone.

• What are the prospects of the automotive industry in the heavy truck segment for 2026 from your perspective?

From our perspective, 2026 will be a year of transition and consolidation rather than abrupt transformation for the heavy commercial vehicle industry.

Market demand will remain closely linked to macroeconomic conditions, infrastructure investment and logistics activity. While some regions may experience volatility, the fundamental need for efficient and reliable road transport will continue to support the segment.

In terms of technology, we expect a pragmatic balance. Diesel powertrains will remain dominant, with continued improvements in efficiency and emissions performance, while electrified solutions—particularly BEVs—will gain traction in clearly defined applications, such as urban distribution and regional transport.

Rather than a disruptive shift, progress will be incremental and use case-driven. Customers will continue to evaluate new technologies based on operational feasibility, reliability and total cost of ownership.

This will favour manufacturers that can offer flexibility, a broad portfolio and application-specific solutions in an evolving market environment. In this context, adaptability will be the key differentiator.

• What are your company's ambitions and plans for this year?

Our focus this year is on strengthening our presence in key markets and further enhancing customer support through our dealer and service network. At the same time, we are advancing our zero-emission roadmap in line with our long-term sustainability strategy, supported by targeted investments in electrification, digitalization and advanced driver assistance technologies.

A key priority for us is also to ensure full alignment with evolving European regulations, including CO₂ targets and VECTO requirements, which are increasingly shaping both product development and market competitiveness.

We see this year as an important step in preparing for the future while delivering strong performance today.

Our approach is not to pursue change for its own sake, but to focus on meaningful and measurable progress, ensuring that we continue to deliver value to our customers in a rapidly evolving environment, while maintaining strong competitiveness in Europe and international markets.

Author：Milan Olšanský

Source：ITOY