Ford plans to launch electric vehicles based on its own platform in Europe by the mid-decade, according to Martin Sander, Ford’s electric car development manager in Europe. The majority of development will take place outside of Europe.
Ford will initially use Volkswagen’s MEB platform in Europe as part of a 2020 agreement, with two MEB-based Ford models planned for 2023 and 2024, each with a production volume of 600,000 units. While a final decision on the future of the partnership with Volkswagen has not been made, Ford is preparing to switch to its own platform for future electric vehicles in Europe. Ford is open to building future vehicles on other systems, whether from Volkswagen or another company.
According to Martin Sander, Ford’s electric car development manager in Europe, Ford plans to launch electric vehicles based on its own platform in Europe by the mid-decade. However, the development of this platform will not be done entirely by Sander’s European team, but rather in the USA.
The new platform is planned to be “very versatile, very powerful,” according to Sander. The project is still in an early phase, as the team is currently exploring all options and determining what segments can be covered by the new platform. The focus is likely to be on larger vehicle segments, rather than small cars.
As previously reported, production of the Fiesta in Cologne is being phased out in favor of MEB production, and currently there are no plans to bring a battery-electric Fiesta to market. Sander also states that Ford will continue to pass on rising costs to its customers, and price increases for the Mustang Mach-E are likely to continue.
In the future, Ford plans to focus on a different strategy in Europe by selling fewer vehicles at a higher price, rather than competing with Volkswagen and Asian manufacturers for volume by lowering margins. To achieve this, Ford’s models must be distinct in a market that is becoming saturated with similar electric vehicles.
Ford expects to make profits from its electric car division in Europe from 2025 and may discontinue petrol and hybrid models before 2030 if demand for electric cars increases faster than expected. Ford and Volkswagen have collaborated in certain areas, such as using the MEB platform for Ford’s first European electric cars and Ford building a new generation of the Amarok pickup for Volkswagen, including an electric version. However, their cooperation on autonomous driving with the jointly acquired start-up ArgoAI was not successful.
