Ford Europe To Add Seven All-Electric, Connected Vehicles By 2024

If you have read Torque News over the last 12 months, the Ford Motor Co. has made significant strides in its U.S. switch to electric vehicles (EV). The Mustang Mach-E, the automaker's first EV, has been a hit and has drawn considerable consumer interest. The Ford Lightning, the automaker's first electric pickup, has drawn more than 100,000 reservations. Most of them are "conquests," which means the customers were formerly owners of other models. And, there is the E-Transit, the automaker's commercial electric van, which has attracted loads of interest. (One could also include the 2022 Ford Maverick in the electric column because it is a hybrid vehicle. The Maverick has attracted thousands of reservations.)

Ford Europe makes first moves toward electric future

In Europe, Ford announced significant strides toward an all-electric future in Europe, which will see the company transform and offer a new generation of seven all-electric, fully-connected passenger vehicles and vans by 2024. Ford isn't alone in its move to electric vehicles. Washington state has some ambitious plans.

Today's announcement builds on the recent news that the company has created a new global business unit – Ford Model e – focused on designing, producing, and distributing electric and connected vehicles. The business unit focused on Ford's commercial vehicle business with Ford Pro, and these two business units will define Ford's future in Europe.

"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," said Jim Farley, Ford's president, and CEO.

"This is why we have created Ford Model e – allowing us to move at the speed of a start-up to build electric vehicles that delight and offer connected services unique to Ford and built with Ford-grade engineering and safety."

Automaker expects sales to exceed 600,000

With its extended range of electric passenger and commercial vehicle models, Ford expects its annual sales of electric vehicles in Europe to exceed 600,000 units in 2026. The automaker also reaffirmed its intention to deliver a 6 percent EBIT margin in Europe in 2023. The acceleration in Europe supports Ford's goal to sell more than 2 million EVs globally by 2026 and deliver company adjusted EBIT margin of 10 percent.

"Our march toward an all-electric future is an absolute necessity for Ford to meet customers' mobility needs across a transforming Europe," said Stuart Rowley, chair, Ford of Europe. "It's also about the pressing need for greater care of our planet, positively contributing to society and reducing emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement."

These efforts will support Ford's global plans to reduce carbon emissions significantly. Today, the company announced it is targeting zero emissions for all vehicle sales in Europe and carbon neutrality across its European footprint of facilities, logistics, and suppliers by 2035.

Seven new electric vehicles by 2024

Following the successful European introduction of the all-electric Mach-E in 2021 and Mach-E GT this year, plus the launch of the E-Transit in the next quarter, Ford today unveiled plans for seven
all-electric vehicles to join the Ford family in Europe – three new passenger vehicles and four new commercial vehicles.

In 2023, Ford will begin producing an all-new electric passenger vehicle, a medium-sized crossover built-in Cologne, with a second electric vehicle added to the Cologne production line-up in 2024. In addition, Ford's top-selling passenger vehicle in Europe, the Ford Puma, will be available as an electric version made in Craiova, Romania, starting in 2024.

Reaffirming its leadership as Europe's top-selling commercial vehicle brand, Ford's iconic Transit range will include four new electric models – the all-new Transit Custom one-ton van and Tourneo Custom multi-purpose vehicle in 2023, and the smaller, next-generation Transit Courier van and Tourneo Courier multi-purpose vehicle in 2024.

"These new Ford electric vehicles signal nothing less than the total transformation of our brand in Europe – a new generation of zero-emission vehicles, optimized for a connected world, offering our customers truly outstanding user experiences," said Rowley.

EV production and investment in Cologne

Ford confirmed today that the first volume all-electric passenger vehicle to come out of the Ford Cologne Electrification Centre would be a five-seat, medium-sized crossover. In 2021, sports utilities and crossovers accounted for 58 percent of all Ford passenger vehicles sold in the continent, up nearly 20 percentage points from 2020.

The all-electric crossover breaks new boundaries for Ford. Capable of a 500km driving range on a single charge, the vehicle's name will be revealed later in 2022, with production commencing in 2023.

Today's confirmation that a second, all-electric passenger vehicle – a sports crossover – will be built at the Ford Cologne Electrification Centre means that electric vehicle production at the facility will increase to 1.2 million vehicles over a six-year timeframe. Cologne's new electric passenger vehicles are expected to be $2 billion, and the investment includes a new battery assembly facility scheduled to start operations in 2024.

New joint venture aims to increase battery production in Europe

To support Ford's ambitious vehicle electrification plans, Ford, SK On Co., Ltd., and Koç Holding have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding for a new, industry-leading joint venture business in Turkey. Subject to a final agreement, the three partners plan to create one of the most extensive EV battery facilities in the wider European region.

The joint venture would be located near Ankara and will manufacture high Nickel NMC cells for assembly into battery array modules. Production is intended to start as early as mid-decade, with an annual capacity of 30 to 45-gigawatt hours.

The investment the three partners are planning in the battery joint venture – including support from the Turkish Government – will directly benefit large and small commercial vehicle operators across Europe, reducing energy and running costs and providing a significant contribution to CO2 reduction.

Boosting EV manufacturing capacity in Craiova

Ford's manufacturing plant in Craiova, Romania, will play a significant role in the company's electric and commercial vehicle growth plans in Europe.

From 2024, European customers will be able to purchase an all-electric version of the Ford Puma, Ford's popular compact crossover. The Puma was Ford's best-selling passenger vehicle in Europe in 2021. The all-electric Puma will bring this successful new nameplate to an even wider group of European customers when it goes into production in Craiova in 2024.

Additionally, the all-new Transit Courier, the famous light commercial vehicle, and Tourneo Courier, a compact multi-purpose vehicle, will also be produced in Craiova from 2023, with all-electric versions coming in 2024.

Ford has also announced that Ford Otosan will assume ownership of the Craiova plant and manufacturing business, subject to regulatory approval and consultation to boost electric and commercial vehicle capacity further. Ford Otosan, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding, is one of the longest-running and most successful joint ventures in the global auto industry.

"We welcome this opportunity to grow our joint venture with Koc Holding and leverage this strategic partnership to utilize our resources and know-how in Romania better," Rowley said. "Ford Craiova is today a strong success story, and we believe that through Ford Otosan's experience and expertise in electrification and commercial vehicles, it can reach even higher levels of achievement."

Video, Photo Courtesy Ford Motor Co.

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as I have been a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise that I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, etc. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.