Ford are struggling with their passenger car division in many parts of the world, but one area where they’ve excelled is with pickup trucks. Both in the United States and globally, their products in this category are celebrated by customers and critics alike.
Last year, Ford and Volkswagen essentially formed a loose global alliance and now that alliance has some solid plans in place. According to a press release by VW AG, Ford will be developing a midsized pickup truck which Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will adapt for selected markets.
Right now, Ford only has one mid-sized pickup truck and that’s the Ranger. The Ranger in its current form is built in Thailand, South Africa, Argentina, Nigeria, Vietnam and the United States. These are all markets where Volkswagen probably want to start expanding their presence in. The Thailand plant is particularly important as it also builds the Ranger for many right-hand drive markets like Australia.
The current Ranger, known as the Ranger T6, has been around since 2011 and has undergone 2 facelifts and massive updates to design, safety and equipment over the years. As such, Ford has managed to keep interest in the Ranger high, especially with hero models like the Ranger Raptor being one-of-a-kind in many markets.
But it won’t be long before Ford will have to step the game up. The Ranger and the Mazda BT-50 used to be siblings, but Mazda will soon switch over to the new D-Max in the development of their next gen BT-50. That gives them access to a modern 1.9L and the enhancements Isuzu have brought to their new D-Max (yet to be sold here).
Ford may use this opportunity to develop a new platform for the Ranger or just give it another major update. Whatever the case, their work on the next Ranger will make its way into a Volkswagen pickup. Will it bear the Amarok name or be entirely different? The Amarok, has been around for even longer than the current Ranger and might need to be completely replaced as well.
The agreement has most of its details set. While it has not been signed yet, both companies have essentially agreed to the terms.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
Landmark in Volkswagen-Ford global alliance: The Volkswagen AG Supervisory Board approved further contracts under the cooperation with Ford Motor Company announced last year. The next milestones in the vehicle projects are anticipated to be implemented in near the future with the signatures of both companies. Three projects in the areas of electrification and commercial vehicles are planned to be realized as a first step. The Volkswagen-Ford global alliance – which does not involve cross-ownership between the companies – is expected to create annual efficiencies for each company.
Pending formal completion, the proposed agreement is expected to encompass the following projects:
- Volkswagen´s Modular Electric Toolkit (MEB) will be used by Ford for an electric vehicle in Europe.
- A midsize pickup developed by Ford and adapted by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in selected markets.
- Two further vehicle projects to be implemented: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be responsible for the development of a city delivery van, while Ford will oversee planning for a van in the one-ton loader segment.
Additional projects may follow, as well as the investment in Argo AI, the autonomous vehicle platform company. Through the cooperation, both manufacturers plan to realize significant synergy effects from shared development costs as well as production synergies.
