By Aishwarya Nair, Paul Lienert and Joseph White

(Reuters) -Ford Motor Co has recognized measures to safe 8% margins on its next-generation electrical automobiles due at mid-decade, however might take years to shut an general value drawback of as much as $8 billion towards opponents, executives mentioned on Wednesday.

Ford can save as much as $2.5 billion this 12 months by means of higher administration of manufacturing schedules and a drop in commodity costs, the corporate’s chief monetary officer, John Lawler, mentioned at an auto convention.

Long run, the corporate goals to scale back supplier inventories and drive extra transactions on-line, amongst different measures, based on Chief Government Jim Farley.

Ford shares have been down 2.5% in late morning buying and selling.

The corporate has “locked down” the designs of its new electrical vans and SUVs and goals to decrease battery cell prices to lower than $70 per kilowatt-hour because it phases in cheaper lithium iron phosphate chemistry, Farley mentioned.

The automaker posted dismal quarterly outcomes earlier this month and blamed chip shortages, provide chain disruptions and manufacturing “instabilities” for including to its prices.

Lawler has mentioned Ford faces $5 billion in larger prices this 12 months and that the corporate might be “very aggressive” in decreasing bills in its manufacturing, provide chain and distribution operations.

So as to increase profitability on its second-generation EVs, Farley mentioned Ford plans to shift to massive underbody castings to scale back components depend and simplify manufacturing – a course of pioneered by world EV chief Tesla (NASDAQ:) Inc.

Different positive factors might be made by introducing extra environment friendly battery chemistries and decreasing pack sizes, whereas shifting to extra aerodynamic automobile designs, the executives mentioned.

Making an EV extra aerodynamic can save “hundreds of {dollars} in battery prices,” Farley mentioned. “Why do you suppose we’re doing Components One? As a result of they’ve one of the best aero individuals on this planet.” 

He mentioned Ford remains to be preventing entrenched mindsets in design and engineering – one of many causes he created a separate group, Ford Mannequin e, to supervise growth, manufacturing and distribution of the automaker’s future electrical automobiles.

“We’ve a bracket group,” Farley mentioned. “We’ve tons of of engineers who make brackets. If you wish to make 8% margins in EVs … There is no bracket group.”