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Ford Will Commence Its EV Push With Introduction Of A New Electric Crossover
Ford has unveiled its ambitions for more electric vehicles in Europe, announcing a new’start-up’ business unit named Ford Model e, which would produce three new electric SUVs by 2024. Ford has reached a deal with Volkswagen Group to gain access to VW’s MEB electric vehicle platform, which will underpin two of these models: a five-seat mid-size SUV and a sporty crossover.
These will be produced at Ford’s Cologne plant, which is undergoing a £1.5 billion transition from a Fiesta supermini factory to an electric car manufacturing with an on-site battery assembly plant. An electric version of the Puma crossover will be the other new EV.
The mid-size SUV will most likely be similar in size to the Volkswagen ID.4 and will be built on the same platform. The MEB architecture can only fit a 77kWh battery, but the company claims that the vehicle will be able to drive 311 miles on a single charge. The chassis can be configured for rear- or four-wheel drive, with outputs ranging from 146 to 295 horsepower for the most powerful all-wheel drive variants. The SUV will be unveiled at the end of this year, with sales beginning in 2023.
The vehicle’s name hasn’t been verified, and won’t be until it’s revealed, but our exclusive image shows how it might look. With a high bonnet line, new LED lighting signature, and a closed-off grille, the SUV will have a hefty design that is a departure from the company’s present lineup. When it arrives, the new SUV could be the first to show off Ford’s all-new electric design language, and it will be smaller than the Mustang Mach-E.
Cologne’s second electric vehicle, dubbed a “sports crossover” and promised with yet another new lighting signature, will appear in 2024. It will most likely be positioned as a sleeker variant of its SUV sibling, similar to the Volkswagen ID.5. Despite their same underpinnings, Ford of Europe CEO Stuart Rowley is sure that these new SUVs would outperform Volkswagen’s products on the road: “Let me tell you, these vehicles will look and drive exactly like Fords.”
Ford has also stated that four new-generation electric commercial vehicles will be available in Europe by 2024, in addition to the passenger car announcement.
