Ford of Europe will launch four SUVs, two vans and two people movers with electric power by the end of 2024 – though it’s unclear which will make their way to Australia.
Ford has detailed plans to launch seven new electric vehicles in Europe by the end of 2024 – including a battery-electric version of the pint-sized Puma SUV, and at least one model twinned with a Volkswagen.
Announced overnight, Ford aims to sell 600,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe by 2026 – a target it plans to hit with the launch of seven new EVs by the end of 2024, comprised of four SUVs, two commercial vans, and two people movers.
Ford Australia is yet to confirm which of the new models will be sold locally, however the brand has previously confirmed “at least” five hybrid or electric cars by the end of 2024 – though it’s not clear if or when the much-requested Mustang Mach-E electric SUV will make it to local showrooms.
At the centre of the roll-out will be the Cologne, Germany factory – currently home to the Fiesta city car – which will produce a new mid-size electric SUV from 2023, followed by a “sports crossover” in 2024.
While not confirmed, it’s widely expected one or both models will ride on Volkswagen’s MEB dedicated electric platform, as part of a partnership between the brands also set to spawn the next Ford Transit Courier and VW Transporter vans (more in a moment), and the new Ford Ranger and next Volkswagen Amarok utes.
The “five-seat, medium-sized crossover” – which will claim 500km of driving range on a charge, with dimensions similar to today’s Ford Escape – will be revealed (alongside its name) later in 2022, ahead of production commencing in 2023.
The use of Volkswagen’s MEB would see the new Ford draw close links with its German mid-size SUV platform-mate, the Volkswagen ID.4, which offers up to 520km of WLTP driving range, and a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive layouts developing up to 220kW.
Few details of the 2024 “sports crossover” have been announced, though it’s likely to share the 2023 SUV’s MEB underpinnings – with a teaser image showcasing a unique ‘dual-eye’ lighting signature and a lower roofline than the model preceding it, hinting at its sportier intentions.
Ford recently filed to trademark five classic names of its past – Capri, Cortina, Granada, Orion, and Escort – which could be used for the new SUVs.
The company revived the Puma sports car badge for a small SUV in 2019 – suggesting the sports SUV’s dual-eye lights might be a nod to a classic Ford, such as the Capri coupe or Cortina family car.
The two Cologne-built models will be joined in 2024 by an electric version of the Puma city SUV – confirming exclusive reporting by Drive last month, indicating the Puma EV would launch for Model Year 2025 (MY25) with underpinnings shared with the petrol-powered model.
Joining the three new SUVs will be four commercial vehicles – split across two vans, and two people movers spun off their underpinnings and bodywork.
The next-generation Transit Custom mid-size van will launch with an electric option in 2023, as a twin of the next Volkswagen Transporter – though petrol, diesel and/or hybrid options will remain available to capture a broader market.
A new Transit Courier city van will gain an electric variant in 2024 – following petrol or diesel models in 2023 – sitting one size below a Volkswagen Caddy or Peugeot Partner, and twinned with the aforementioned electric Puma.
The Transit Custom and Transit Courier will spawn Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Courier people movers respectively, due in the same years as their van counterparts. The Custom twins will be built in Turkey, while the Courier models will be made alongside the Puma in Romania.
Set to power future Ford electric vehicles in Europe may be a new joint-venture factory in Ankara, Turkey which will open “as early as mid-decade” and is “likely” to produce between 30 and 45 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of batteries each year. However, the specifics of the factory have yet to be confirmed and signed off.
Ford’s European electric vehicle rollout – enabled through its new ‘Model e’ spin-off business entity (company) – is the latest step to achieve its target of offering a hybrid or electric version of every passenger car or SUV it sells by mid-2026, or every commercial vehicle by 2024.
That is expected to include the Ford Ranger ute which, as reported by Drive last month, is set to add a plug-in hybrid powertrain option in late 2023, or sometime in 2024.
All Ford passenger cars and SUVs sold in Europe in 2030 are targeted to be electric-only. The company is “targeting” carbon neutrality in the region by 2035.
“Our march toward an all-electric future is an absolute necessity for Ford to meet the mobility needs of customers across a transforming Europe,” said Stuart Rowley, chair, Ford of Europe.
Drive has contacted Ford Australia for comment on local plans for the seven European EVs detailed overnight.
The brand will commence its electrified vehicle rollout in the coming months with the Escape PHEV (plug-in hybrid) SUV, followed by the E-Transit electric van in mid-2022 – but the other three (plus) vehicles are yet to be named.
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