Ford’s electric vehicle rollout has been deemed a success thus far, but the automaker plans to accelerate the momentum in the coming years. Yesterday, the general manager of Ford Model e Europe gave us a glimpse into what we can expect from its new electric crossover coming next year.
Ford gives a sneak peek at its new electric crossover
In March, Ford revealed it was charging toward an all-electric future in Europe with plans to introduce seven new electric vehicles – three passenger and four commercial EVs.
Ford’s CEO Jim Farley stated as he revealed the initiative:
I am delighted to see the pace of change in Europe – challenging our entire industry to build better, cleaner, and more digital vehicles. Ford is all-in and moving fast to meet the demand in Europe and around the globe.
The Mustang Mach-e was introduced in Europe in 2021, joined by the Mach-e GT model and E-Transit, Ford’s commercial electric van.
Ford invested $2 billion in its Cologne, Germany, plant to support the transition. The Cologne plant, where Ford will wind down production of its Fiesta, is expected to produce 1.2 million EVs in Europe over the next six years.
Ford’s electric vehicles in the US have been a hit so far, carrying its popular F-150 and Mustang brands into the new EV era. However, as we have previously noted, Ford’s electric vehicles can feel a bit “American” rather than global models.
To help them become a more global brand, Ford partnered with Volkswagen in 2020 to use its modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform to build a crossover EV.
Martin Sander, the general manager of Ford Model e Europe, gave us a sneak peek of what we can expect from the collaboration. Sanders said on Twitter, “Can’t wait for 2023 to arrive when we pull the cover of our first electric passenger vehicle comes from Cologne,” posting a picture of him pulling back the curtain on the new Ford electric crossover.
A sport crossover will follow up the new mid-size EV in 2024 as Ford strives to hit a 2 million EV run rate globally by 2026. Ford expects at least 600K annual electric vehicle sales in Europe by that time.