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VW Will Share MEB Platform with Ford


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1 hour ago, rperez817 said:

VW's peeling buttons should complement Ford's peeling steering wheels. https://www.torquenews.com/3768/owners-2015-ford-f-150s-are-upset-over-steering-wheels-are-peeling

foto_f-150_steering_wheel.jpg

Literally every surface (steering wheel, shifter, console, door panels) in my Focus is sticky for some reason, and everything I've ever used on it to try and fix it just makes it worse. 

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2 hours ago, akirby said:

I suspect this will be more about platform sharing than rebadging in the NA retail space at least.   For trucks and commercial vehicles I think Ford will manufacture those for VW.

It depends on if VW is manufacturing though.  Where would Ford make these MEB based models?

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On 7/9/2019 at 8:05 AM, rmc523 said:

It depends on if VW is manufacturing though.  Where would Ford make these MEB based models?

Ford is going to make vans and midsize pickup trucks for VW, mostly for the European markets, that part is already pretty well established. VW is retooling the Hannover plant that currently makes Amarok pickup and Transporter van to make MEB vehicles so it won't have any capacity to make old fashioned diesel power midsize truck and vans by 2022 or so. That's when a new Ranger and a new Transit Custom is supposed to come out - and Ford has plenty of capacity in Thailand to build more Rangers and can probably expand Turkey to make more vans. VW does make Amarok in Argentina as well but so does Ford... so unclear what will happen in South America, especially if Ford pulls out completely.

If Ford does use MEB, VW likely won't have enough capacity to make all of its own models (not just VW but also Audi, Skoda, and SEAT versions too). So Ford will need to convert one of its existing plant to make MEB. Pick from one of its 4 European assembly hubs: Saarlouis (Focus), Cologne (Fiesta), Valencia (Mondeo, Transit Connect, Kuga), and Craiova (EcoSport, Puma). My money is on Fiesta moving to Craiova and Valencia and Cologne being converted to EV production in EU.

In North America, I think Ford will stick with E1 for a while... the small Leaf or Bolt size EV like the one VW is planning is not really profitable yet and Ford can probably wait and see (as are most car companies). Start with something that has more profit potential like midsize EV CUV.

In China, Ford and VW can't share production space by law so they each will need to tool up MEB production. VW has the additional complication of having 2 giant JV partners and a 3rd smaller JV partner that all want a piece of the action - so expect SAIC-VW, FAW-VW, and JAC-VW to all end up with MEB production. Ford just has Chang'an to deal with and its JV with Zyote seems to be limited to locally developed tech.

Edited by bzcat
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It appears an announcement could come as early as Friday, July 12:  http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2019/07/ford-volkswagen-plan-to-unveil-new-autonomous-electrified-vehicle-joint-ventures-on-friday/

Quote

Ford and Volkswagen are planning to announce two new joint ventures by as early as Friday that would have them pair up on the development of autonomous and electrified vehicles.

The proposed autonomous vehicle joint venture between Ford and VW would be centered around Argo AI, a Pittsburgh-based tech firm considered one of the leaders in the field. While it operates as an independent enterprise, Ford is its primary partner, the automaker having invested $1 billion in the start-up in 2017. “They have a significant say” in what Argo does, said one of the sources that spoke to TheDetroitBureau.com on background due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.

Argo currently runs autonomous vehicle test programs in five U.S. cities: Pittsburgh, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Palo Alto and Miami – making it one of the few companies in the field currently testing in cold climate conditions, a particular challenge for AVs. It is expected to set up a new base, as well as vehicle testing programs, in Europe once the Ford/VW joint venture is formalized.

VW, the source suggested, will likely invest “billions” in Argo, as part of the deal, the higher figure reflecting the increase in the tech firm’s value since Ford took its initial stake.

By pairing up, the two automakers believe they will have a scale advantage over competitors such as Toyota and General Motors – GM preparing to launch a self-driving ride-share service pilot this year. The deal could also offer an advantage over Waymo, which already operates an autonomous vehicle venture in the Phoenix area, said another source. Where that Google spin-off has to modify vehicles supplied to it by partners like Fiat Chrysler and Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Volkswagen will be able to design Argo technology into their vehicles right from the start.

VW will provide Ford access to the MEB architecture that will underpin the majority of its future BEVs, including the small ID3 model for which it recently began taking orders, as well as the ID Buzz, a modern, all-electric take on the classic Volkswagen Microbus. The German company will not share a separate electric vehicle platform that will be used for models like the upcoming Audi e-tron GT, however.

Indeed, the joint ventures will not completely merge the Ford and VW autonomous and electrified vehicle programs. Ford, for one thing, will still work on its own BEV platform debuting with the long-range SUV. And VW will not join in on the partnership Ford announced earlier this year with Rivian, the suburban Detroit EV start-up that is now developing its own, long-range SUV and pickup models.  

Confirmation of quite a bit of what has been speculated here.

Edited by Harley Lover
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On 7/10/2019 at 12:29 PM, Harley Lover said:

Pretty much exactly what we predicted ?

Both companies will use MEB for small cars, but they will go their own way on bigger EVs.

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