Ford Motor Co. is prodding other automakers to embrace more stringent automotive clean air standards set by California in another blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to limit the state’s ability to set tougher emissions rules as the industry prepares for the Biden administration. A day before an industry trade group meeting, a top Ford executive encouraged his competitors to unify in supporting the California standards to prepare for more stringent rules expected from President-elect Joe Biden. The plea comes a week after General Motors Co. dropped its support for Trump’s efforts to strip California of its authority on auto emissions.
Ford last year supported the California regulations, along with Honda Motor Co., Volkswagen AG, and BMW, which earned them the wrath of Trump, who tweeted they were “foolish executives.” Ford also backed California Governor Gavin Newsom’s order banning gasoline-powered cars in his state by 2035, which he signed on the hood of an electric Mustang Mach-E.