Ford to build 600,000 ELECTRIC cars based on electric Volkswagen ID underpinnings

The collaboration between Ford and Volkswagen will see Ford build 600,000 electric cars using Volkswagen electric drivetrains, plus commercial vehicles.

Almost a year ago we learnt, officially, that Ford and Volkswagen were to team up to share costs and co-develop models as car makers, big and small, look for ways to cut the ever-spiralling cost of developing new models and new technology.

At the time we learnt that there would be a chunk of co-operation on the development and production of commercial vehicles, and that Ford will use the MEB platform that underpins the new VW ID.3 (and soon to arrive VW ID.4).  But now we get more details.

On the commercial vehicle front, Ford’s next-generation Ranger Pick-up will also be produced as a Volkswagen Amarok – with both versions built by Ford –  and as early as next year we’ll see a City Van based on the VW Caddy also arriving as a Ford, and be built by VW, as well as a one-ton van created by Ford. Ford and VW expect to sell eight million across the three Commercial Vehicles.

On the electric car front, starting in 2023 Ford will start to sell a new electric car built on VW’s MEB platform – designed and engineered by Ford – which will “add another compelling nameplate to its own all-electric Mustang Mach-E” (whatever that means). Ford expect to sell 600,000 of this EV, and Ford and VW are looking at other ways to cooperate on EVs.

Despite all this cooperation, and looming inter-dependency, the alliance between Ford and VW doesn’t include any form of cross ownership. So they stay competitors.