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VW Confirms Tie With Ford: Electric Cars Part Of the Package?
The Ford-Volkswagen EV riddle is still unsolved.
The rumors about the Volkswagen and Ford EV partnership are still alive as Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said that both manufacturers “identified other potential cooperation” (besides commercial vehicle partnership).
“Rumours of a VW and Ford tie-in have been circulating since the start of the month, with speculation that the brands will also develop electric vehicles together.”
Speculations concern the new MEB platform that could be used in Ford electric cars, but it would be strange if Ford would decide on that option, because to use the borrowed MEB platform would seem to indicate that Ford doesn’t fully support electric cars.
Volkswagen news
We believe that a partnership like this depends on the Ford policy and forecast about the electric car future. If Ford doesn’t expect EVs to play a major role, then the company could use VW’s tech and do a few low-volume models to save costs, but if Ford believes in EVs, it probably would be willing to develop its own tech.
Guess time will tell.
Source: Autocar
Categories: Ford, Volkswagen
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33 Comments on "VW Confirms Tie With Ford: Electric Cars Part Of the Package?"
Ford where’s your electrifying product. Oops you don’t have one. I’ll give 10 more years and VW will buy off Ford
Don’t be silly. Ford is selling over 900,000 trucks a year in the U.S. and over a million worldwide every year. Ford sells 6.5 million light vehicles (excluding heavy trucks and buses) worldwide every year. I’m sure Ford and VW will form a partnership that includes VW’s EV platform. There is no need for Ford to rush into the EV market with sales figures like that.
Ford doesn’t need EVs in the future, because it won’t be there with their attitude.
Ford will do fine, they build what they can sell.
That’s as long as electric pickups never reach the public market. The first Powerstroke that’s passed by a Rivian or Tesla pulling 30,000 lbs up a 6% grade will drive a big ol’ nail in that 900,000 truck per year coffin.
I also can’t wait for the dip-sh-t coal roller to get absolutely smoked (pun intended) by a 3-second EV pickup off the stoplight.
All depends on the range. If you’re getting 80 miles out of a truck then people will be happy to stick with their 300 miles of Diesel range. Creeping past another fully loaded truck is not going to make or break a product, there are a lot more factors than that.
This will be the last year they come close to that number, never again will that happen.
Ford is in deep water clinging to the life raft of the F-150, if that ever springs a leak they will drown,
why do you think they are clutching at straws like a partnership with another loser, VW.
Desperate time make for strange bedfellows.
“There is no need for Ford to rush into the EV market with sales figures like that.”
Complacency comes before the fall. For Ford’s sake, I hope the Ford management doesn’t think like that, since things can change awfully fast (fast being relative to the industry).
Ford doesn’t have the money to invest in the EV revolution.
VW will be buying a shrinking Ford, if VW’s expansion is successful.
I was thinking the same.
Having the consequences of the dieselgate in mind, we can guess that Ford will enable VW to sell cars in the US.
On Ford’s side, since they do not plan to make any real investment in EV, they need a partner.
So, VW and Ford merging into a single company this seems to be a logical move:
*) Ford could sell rebranded VW EVs
*) And VW could sell F series in Europe. There are a lot of small d…ers there, who need to be reassured by their car.
Note that I am still doubting about the will of VW to go EV. You just have to see how they are working actively to soften regulation.
I was in France in September. Pickup trucks just don’t seem to be a thing over there. I saw one mid-sized pickup the entire time I was there.
I think high gas prices and an infrastructure system that just doesn’t seem well suited to something the size of an F150 would make it a tough sell.
I honestly don’t see what Ford brings to the table other than money to help develop VW’s EV line. My experience with Ford’s cars is that they are simply inferior to what VW makes and I can’t think of any technology where Ford is demonstrably better.
Pickups for personal transport aren’t a thing _anywhere_ except the US & Canada. Anywhere else they’re used only for the original commercial/agricultural purposes. Even then, they sell in very small numbers compared to commercial vans.
If there was a market for F150’s in Europe Ford would be selling them. Ford the only US company so far to have made proper inroads into Europe and are one of the largest volume manufacturers there.
I don’t think sharing parts of/an entire car platform (the MEB) is necessarily a bad idea. Ford have decided to stop selling ICE cars anyway (at least in North America) so using the MEB platform for that means they can concentrate on building other platforms for their other segments (i.e. electrified trucks and Larger SUV’s).
Just like Skoda buys all platforms and technology from VW, Ford could do the same for some models.
That doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing for them.
Skoda sells cheaper cars than VW, with the same quality, just with a one or two years delay in technology. Their cars are really appreciated and reliable.
Skoda belongs to VW group, they don’t ‘buy’ it. Otherwise I agree about the good quality/price ratio
I am not sure how it works, but Skoda pays for the technology.
[Url=https://www.google.nl/amp/s/auto.ndtv.com/news/volkswagen-plans-to-curb-competition-from-skoda-1758545/amp]See Here[/url]
Of course they buy it from the mother. They are internal customers. Actually it goes even further. The factories VW makes its own cars in a basically like independent entities VW hires to produce the cars. Of course you could argue that this is just left pocket, right pocket but this is to ensure that each component of VW is profitable or that component goes broke and is terminated.
All Ford buying EV tech from VW (assuming that’s what’s really going on here) means is that Ford sees that as the best way to get into EVs. Higher quality? Lower cost? QUICKER TIME TO MARKET BECAUSE THEY’RE FINALLY GETTING SERIOUS? Who knows the reason(s) why, but if this is an EV-based deal, I think it’s good news to see one of the most conspicuous foot draggers moving in the right direction.
I think the best part of this news is that VW is probably, seriously, going to make somebody’s EVs. So we know what Ford’s electrification timeline is: VW Group timeline plus probably a good months after that. Word to Jim Hackett: VW is known for making things up about EVs and not following through; if you get a contract with them, make sure it has delivery dates and accompanying unit numbers. Also, beware of cheating!
They announced the MEB platform at the beginning of 2016 and said they will release a car on it by the end of 2019. The first I.D. on the platform is still slated for release/production in 2019 so they seem pretty good with their promises so far.
Ford understands that EVs are the future … what they are struggling with internally (like most OEMs) is the timing, investment and how to make them profitably. The lack of profits from EVs for several years is why we seeing more and more of these partnerships between OEMs … they need to spread investment across a few companies.
This is good for Ford, because it’s current plan seems to be shrink the company as the EV revolution continues.
When I am enjoying my model 3, they are thinking to build some EVs. Just too late.
What’s your point? I was enjoying my Bolt while you were still dreaming about you Model 3. Entering the market late does have advantages. One being that the market is more well defined so they wouldn’t have to guess what EV buyers might want, or like. Another is they can benchmark a product like the Model 3 and potentially do even better.
It’s never too late.
FWIW, they seemed pretty adamant at the press conference that the cooperation talks were all about light commercial vehicles; and *maybe* they could also do something with robo-taxis — but no other plans for the time being.
Also, I’m not sure I agree with the interpretation regarding Ford’s commitment. If they end up licensing MEB after all, it might very well be an acknowledgement that their own development will be late, and they need a stopgap measure… Which would be a *good* sign.
What do you get when you combine two losers?
Twice as many announcements?
If it actually gets to that point, I think the benefit of renewable energy will be dwarfed by the numberof dead trees needed to distribute & fax PRs. (-:
This is not the first time they cooperate, Ford and VW had the same car build in the same place before, just the brand and bumpers were different.
I think as the sales of EVs are picking up it’s wise to share platform development costs.
i would love to have an small electric pick up.
I don’t see what’s in it for VW – given Fords (probably) low EV sales.
VW could use the MEB platform for VW, Skoda, Seat and Audi. . in addition to their Chinese joint ventures.
Or will VW make an EV for Ford, so Ford does not have to tool up a new factory, to start production?
I know they have cooperated before with the VW Sharan/Ford Galaxy/SEAT Alhambra line of vehicles made in Portugal, so it’s not all new idea.. I think that was mostly a VW vehicle, as I recognized the instrument panel, switches and engines from VW in the Ford Galaxy.
. . but they owned the factory together before Ford sold their stake in the factory a decade or something later..
I urge everyone to listen to the Freakonomics podcast episdoe in which Ford’s CEO, James Hackett, is interviewed and discusses their idea of the future of mobility, including where they believe electrified vehicles fit. It was a great episode and quite enlightening. Mr. Hackett has a tough task ahead, but sounds like he’s a smart dude.