I wanted to keep my opinion out of this, but this is what I see happening.
2022-2024 EU EV targets increased from 10% (2021) to 15% (2024)
2025 EU EV target increases from 15% (2024) to 24% (2025), a 9% jump in one year.
In 2024, Legacy automakers will meet the CO2 Standards with their mix of EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs. Due to the regulatory environment, OEMs are focused on selling profitable, higher-margin EVs.
In 2025, OEMs will only be able to meet the EU standard with drastically increasing EV sales. This will force OEMs to offer More affordable EVs, like the Puma-E, and lower the price of Existing EVs like the ID.4, ID.3, Capri, Etc. The OEMs hope that the lower costs for batteries and other components will allow lower prices without destroying margins. VW for example, is planning the launch of the low-cost MEB platform ( Id.2 Hatch and CUV) in 2025 and a major refresh of MEB vehicles in 2026. VW will also open its largest battery plant in 2025.
IMO, Ford is hedging in Europe with the VW platform and non-optimized ICE-based EV platforms until the Low-cost EV Platform is ready.