• Acordo prevê veículos elétricos da Ford baseados na plataforma MEB
  • Próxima Ford Ranger irá compartilhar plataforma com a nova Amarok
  • Aliança Ford-Volkswagen pode ainda desenvolver outros projetos não mencionados

A Ford e a Volkswagen anunciaram hoje oficialmente uma expansão significativa de sua parceria (antecipada em julho de 2019) para novas áreas, incluindo veículos elétricos.

O novo conjunto de acordos inclui três áreas principais para projetos conjuntos:

  • veículos: picape de médio porte, van compacta urbana e van de carga de 1 tonelada
  • veículos elétricos: carros baseados na plataforma MEB da Ford na Europa
  • direção autônoma (investimento de ambas na Argo AI)
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Antes de entrarmos nos veículos elétricos, vamos sistematizar os projetos de veículos comerciais, que são planejados para compartilhar os custos e ampliar as vendas globais.

  • picape de médio porte projetada e fabricada pela Ford
    Líder do projeto: Ford
    Volkswagen oferecerá a nova Amarok (Ford Ranger rebatizada) a partir de 2022
    "Produção de uma picape média projetada e fabricada pela Ford, para comercialização pela Volkswagen como Amarok a partir de 2022 dentro da Llnha de veículos comerciais da marca"
  • furgão compacto para entregas urbanas desenvolvida e construída pela divisão de Veículos Comerciais da Volkswagen
  • Líder do projeto: Volkswagen Veículos Comerciais
    Ford oferecerá uma nova van urbana (versão rebatizada da mais recente Volkswagen Caddy) a partir de 2021
  • Furgão comercial de 1 tonelada criada pela Ford
  • Líder do projeto: Ford
    Ford e Volkswagen oferecerão uma nova van de carga de 1 tonelada (Ford Transit Custom/VW Transporter) a partir de 2021

O volume conjunto desses novos veículos será de 8 milhões de unidades ao longo de todo o seu ciclo.

Galeria: Volkswagen plataforma MEB

 

Não há detalhes sobre as versões elétricas desses projetos conjuntos, mas assumimos que também haverá versões eletrificadas.

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Carros elétricos da Ford baseados na MEB

 

O acordo inclui um novo veículo de passageiros totalmente elétrico da Ford para o mercado europeu, baseado na plataforma Modular Electric Drive (MEB) da Volkswagen, a partir de 2023 .

No total, a Ford pretende vender cerca de 600.000 veículos elétricos a bateria baseados na arquitetura MEB ao longo de vários anos, o que significa até 100.000 por unidades por ano, em média.

Este novo modelo se juntará ao novato Ford Mustang Mach-E, programado para 2021.

"Ao longo de vários anos, começando em 2023, a Ford poderia entregar 600.000 veículos elétricos no topo da arquitetura MEB, projetada para combinar espaço e desempenho com propulsão elétrica. O veículo, que será projetado e fabricado pela Ford em Colônia-Merkenich, adicionará outra opção atraente no portfólio ao seu próprio Mustang Mach-E totalmente elétrico, que será introduzido em 2021."

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A aliança Ford-Volkswagen para veículos elétricos pode não terminar aqui, pois os dois estão conversando sobre o que mais pode ser feito em conjunto:

"A Volkswagen e a Ford planejam explorar outras formas de cooperar em veículos elétricos".

Outros projetos elétricos da Ford

 

Separada de todas as opções acima, a Ford trabalha em dois de seus próprios veículos elétricos comerciais/pick-up:

  • Ford Transit Electric (em 2021 na Europa e em 2022 nos EUA/Canadá)
  • Ford F-150 Electric ("dentro de 24 meses" até meados de 2022)

Jim Farley, diretor de operações da Ford, disse:

"Os veículos comerciais são fundamentais para a Ford hoje e uma área em que iremos acelerar e crescer, e trabalhar com a Volkswagen nessas plataformas nos fornecerá vantagens financeiras significativas em aspectos como engenharia, instalações e ferramentas. Separadamente, a Ford adicionará versões elétricas de bateria do Transit e do F-150 nos próximos 24 meses para clientes comerciais que precisam cada vez mais de zero emissões e poder de conectividade, dados e inteligência artificial.”

Galeria: Ford Mustang Mach-E (Europa)

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Ford, Volkswagen Sign Agreements for Joint Projects On Commercial Vehicles, EVs, Autonomous Driving

  • Will collaborate on commercial vehicles – city van created and built by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and later 1-ton cargo van engineered by Ford, plus Volkswagen medium pickup built on Ford Ranger platform – from 2022
  • During the lifecycles of the products, the companies expect to produce up to a combined 8 million of the three commercial vehicles included in the commercial relationship
  • Ford to build new electric vehicle for Europe based on Volkswagen’s Modular Electric Drive toolkit beginning in 2023; could approach a multiyear 600,000-plus units
  • With Volkswagen’s investment last week in Argo AI, Ford and Volkswagen will work with Argo AI to independently develop AVs at scale based on Argo AI’s innovative self-driving technology
  • Relationship does not involve cross-ownership between the two companies, is expected to create significant efficiencies for both companies

DEARBORN, Mich., and WOLFSBURG, Germany – June 10, 2020 – Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen AG today signed agreements that expand their global alliance to meet rapidly evolving needs of their respective customers in Europe and other regions by leveraging complementary strengths in midsize pickup trucks and commercial and electric vehicles.

Plans for the agreements were first announced by Ford and Volkswagen last July.

The companies expect the alliance to enhance ownership experiences for current and future customers by more rapidly innovating vehicle offerings, incorporating relevant new technologies, delivering better utility and offering more model choices.  They anticipate continued growth in global industry demand for commercial vehicles and for high-performing electric vehicles to add valuable scale to their individual product portfolios.

The alliance will:

  • Produce a medium pickup truck engineered and built by Ford, for sale by Volkswagen as the Amarok starting in 2022 within the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles lineup
  • Further strengthen the commercial-vehicles businesses of both companies as early as 2021 – with a city delivery van based on the latest Caddy model, developed and built by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and later a 1-ton cargo van created by Ford, and
  • Lead to a highly differentiated Ford electric vehicle for Europe by 2023 built on Volkswagen’s Modular Electric Drive, or MEB, toolkit, expanding on Ford’s zero-emission capabilities in the region

During the lifecycles of the products, the companies expect to produce up to a combined 8 million of the medium pickup truck and both commercial vans included in the commercial relationships.

“In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impacts on the global economy, more than ever it is vital to set up resilient alliances between strong companies,” said Volkswagen Group CEO Dr. Herbert Diess.  “This collaboration will efficiently drive down development costs, allowing broader global distribution of electric and commercial vehicles, and enhance the positions of both companies.”

“This alliance comes at a time of tremendous enthusiasm about the intersection of increasingly intelligent, connected vehicles in an ever-smarter world,” said Ford CEO Jim Hackett.  “This creates a huge opportunity to innovate and solve many of the world’s transportation challenges and deliver extraordinary benefits to customers – even as companies need to be selective about how they use their cash.”

Ford and Volkswagen both have strong commercial van and pickup businesses around the world, including popular models such as Ford’s Transit and Ranger and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle’s Transporter, Crafter, Caddy and Amarok.

“Commercial vehicles are fundamental to Ford today and an area where we will accelerate and grow, and working with Volkswagen on these platforms will provide both of us significant financial advantages in things like engineering, and plants and tooling,” said Jim Farley, Ford chief operating officer.  “Separately, Ford will add battery electric versions of Transit and F-150 in the next 24 months for commercial customers who increasingly need zero emissions and the power of connectivity, data and artificial intelligence.”

“The collaboration with Ford is a key building block of our GRIP 2025+ strategy and part of the current transformation of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles,” said Thomas Sedran, chairman of the board of management board for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.  “This long-term cooperation with Ford will strengthen our very good position in area of light commercial vehicles, especially in our core European markets, and is proof that we are successfully implementing our plan step by step.”

Ford’s use of Volkswagen’s MEB architecture in Europe will represent another cornerstone in Volkswagen’s electric vehicle strategy, and further efforts by both companies to fulfill their commitments to the Paris 2015 Agreement.  Volkswagen and Ford plan to explore additional ways to cooperate on electric vehicles.

Over several years starting in 2023, Ford could deliver 600,000 electric vehicles atop the MEB architecture, which is designed to combine space and performance with electric drive.  The vehicle, which will be designed and engineered by Ford in Cologne-Merkenich, will add another compelling nameplate to its own all-electric Mustang Mach-E, which will be introduced in 2021.

Additionally, the companies will both work with Argo AI to form distinct, highly capable autonomous-vehicle businesses based on Argo AI’s self-driving technology.  Last week, Volkswagen closed its previously announced investment in Argo AI, the Pittsburgh-based company in which Ford already had ownership and development interests.

Volkswagen and Ford independently choosing to invest in Argo AI illustrates the technical leadership and progress of Argo AI’s self-driving system, and how alliances can help enable development of breakthrough technologies that require substantial time and resources.  Argo AI’s SDS is the first with commercial deployment plans for both Europe and the U.S.  The global reach of Ford and Volkswagen will give Argo AI’s platform the largest geographic deployment potential of any autonomous driving technology to date.  Reach and scale are important factors in developing an SDS that is robust and cost efficient.

The Volkswagen/Ford alliance does not include cross-ownership between the companies, which will remain competitors in the marketplace.