Together with Ford and VW

Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Company today announced a comprehensive alliance aimed at improving the competitiveness of the companies concerned.

Volkswagen CEO Dr Herbert Diess and Ford CEO Jim Hackett have confirmed that the two companies are planning to jointly develop freight vans and medium-sized pick ups for global markets - starting from 2022 onwards.

In addition, Volkswagen and Ford have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore opportunities for collaboration in electric vehicles, self-propelled vehicles and mobility services, and have already begun exploring options.

"In the future, this association will help both companies to create value and meet the needs of customers and society," Hackett said. "This brings a significant improvement in operational efficiency and helps both companies to work healthier, and also offers the opportunity to work together to shape the era of mobility ahead."

Diess added: “Volkswagen and Ford are leveraging their combined resources, innovation capabilities and complementary market positions to serve millions of customers better. At the same time, this alliance is the foundation of our efforts to improve competitiveness. ”

The alliance, which is not part of the cross-ownership of the two companies, will be supervised by a joint committee. This committee is led by Hackett and Diess, and there are senior executives from both companies.

Ford and Volkswagen operate a major commercial vehicle and pick up business worldwide, with popular models such as the Ford Transit range and the Ranger, as well as the Volkswagen Transporter, Caddy and Amarok.

The joint venture sales of the two companies amounted to about 1.2 million units worldwide in 2018, which means the industry's largest cooperation in terms of production volumes.

As part of the alliance, Ford will design mid-size pick-up models for both companies, which are expected to be launched in 2022. It is planned that Ford plans to build larger freight carriers for the European market, and Volkswagen will develop and manufacture an urban freight forwarder.

(Source: hvg.hu / photo: pixabay.com)