Ford, VW Confirm Collaboration on Vans, Pickup Trucks

As expected, Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG have agreed to partner on designing and building commercial vans and midsize pickup trucks.

Ford and VW CEOs Jim Hackett (left) and Herbert Diess (right) say Ford will develop models for both companies to market under their own brands by about 2022. The pickup will share the platform that carries Ford’s global Ranger truck, and the shared van design will ride on Ford’s Transit Custom chassis.
 

VW will contribute a city van to be sold by each carmaker. VW CEO Herbert Diess concedes the partnership solves his company’s lack of a product plan for light commercial vehicles.

Diess says the jointly developed van may be produced by Ford’s factory in Turkey. The company’s didn’t say where the shared pickup truck will be made.

The collaboration is expected to generate a benefit of $500 million in annual pretax earnings for each company, beginning in 2023.

The companies confirm they also are studying ways to collaborate on electric vehicles and autonomous driving technologies. The partners reiterate that they are not contemplating any cross ownership.