New EV to be Developed by Ford and Volkswagen (PDF)
It has been announced that Ford Europe will build a Volkswagen-based electric vehicle from its German factory in Cologne. It will be announced on March 21, and will be one of two Volkswagen-based SUVs manufactured by Ford. Upon closing the Fiesta production line at Ford’s Cologne plant in July, it will be completely converted to producing only fully electric vehicles.
The name hasn’t been revealed, but Martin Sander, Ford’s e-business director across the pond, included the hashtag #ExploringReinvented, leading some to speculate it has something to do with the Explorer. It makes sense, given that there is currently a hybrid version but not a fully electric model.
Ford is working to connect its American roots with Europe through styling and marketing. They want to use their SUV and pickup models in the United States to show that they can deliver the same quality as European passenger cars.
VW’s ID.4 platform is likely to provide the new crossover with a range of about 310 miles – which is impressive for today’s electric cars. VW’s ID.5 platform will be used for the second EV. The brand’s focus is on SUVs, crossovers, and trucks – which are its bread and butter – rather than smaller cars that don’t sell well.
However, an increase in Electric Vehicle production and a decline in internal combustion engine-powered vehicles means an inevitable cut in Ford Europe’s workforce. According to Ford, there will need to be 3,800 job cuts in administration and product development to keep deliveries on schedule. EVs will have a much lower workload since there is less work to be done on drivetrains.
The automaker Ford Europe plans to have an all-electric lineup by 2030, as well as all commercial vans and trucks that are plug-in hybrids or all-electric by the same date.
