May 16 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co ( F ) has asked its

electric-vehicle suppliers to reduce costs in an attempt to

support profitability, saying "everything is on the table,"

according to a company memo seen by Reuters.

Discounts and sharp price cuts from competitors, including

EV market leader Tesla, to sustain consumer demand amid

high interest rates have forced Ford to reciprocate. To

re-ignite demand and stave off competition from Chinese

automakers such as BYD, analysts have said EV makers

need to introduce vehicles that are affordable to the masses.

"Everything is on the table. Consider this a call to

action," Liz Door, Ford's chief supply-chain officer, said in

the memo, which was earlier reported by Crain's Detroit

Business.

"It is in our best interests that we are able to deliver

affordable EV products to our customers," Door added. "To ensure

affordability, it is of paramount importance that our portfolio

achieves further levels of material cost efficiency."

In response to a request for comment, Ford said it was

focused on building a profitable EV business. "We value our

suppliers' collaboration and asked them to share their ideas for

cost reductions," the company said in a statement.

Door asked suppliers to ensure efficient manufacturing

operations and reduce capital spending. She also called for

further cost-reduction proposals on such vehicles as the Ford

F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, Transit electric van and

Mustang Mach-E SUV, to be presented in face-to-face meetings

soon, including ideas that might require investment but support

profitability.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker recorded a $1.3

billion operating loss for its EV and software division in the

first quarter. Executives expect this section of the company to

sustain a pretax loss of between $5 billion and $5.5 billion for

the year.

While Ford continues to develop affordable and smaller EVs

by a "skunk works" team in California, the company in the near

term is focusing on boosting sales of hybrid vehicles, which are

preferred by many consumers, before adopting fully

battery-powered cars.