Ford-Volkswagen teamed up, next-gen VW Amarok to be underpinned by Ranger pickup

KUALA LUMPUR: A long-anticipated collaboration plan between Ford and Volkswagen has finally become official. The two auto giants were exploring the possibility of jointly developing vehicles from the last two years. The main idea is to tap the evolving needs of customers in Europe and other regions by leveraging their complementary strengths. Last year, the automakers allied, and yesterday, they signed agreements for joint projects.

According to plan, the American automaker will manufacture a midsize pickup truck and a one-ton commercial van for both, while the German company will undergo the production of a smaller city van for the two. Not only this, but the alliance will also work on electric vehicles using Volkswagen's MEB architecture and will also dig the autonomous vehicles segment. The Europe centric plan will begin shortly, though Ford claims that it will benefit other regions too.

Under the alliance, the next-generation Ford Ranger will be the base for the Volkswagen Amarok that is expected to undergo a redesign for 2022. The platform will reportedly accommodate different powertrains, including petrol, diesel, and even high-performance plug-in hybrid, It is also rumored to produce a maximum output of 362 PS and 680 Nm of torque. 

Further, to strengthen the commercial vehicles segment of both companies, the two commercial vans would arrive soon. The city delivery van will be based on the latest VW Caddy, developed and built by Volkswagen, and later a one-ton cargo van will be created by Ford, which is likely to replace the Ford Transit. 

“Commercial vehicles are fundamental to Ford today, and an area where we will accelerate and grow, and working with Volkswagen on these platforms will provide both of us significant financial advantages in things like engineering, and plants and tooling,” said Jim Farley, Ford chief operating officer.  

“The collaboration with Ford is a key building block of our GRIP 2025+ strategy and part of the current transformation of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. This long-term cooperation with Ford will strengthen our very good position in the area of light commercial vehicles, especially in our core European markets, and is proof that we are successfully implementing our plan step by step,” said Thomas Sedran, chairman of the board of management board for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. 

During the lifecycles of these vehicles, the automakers expect to produce up to 8 million units. However, this partnership is not a cross-ownership as the press release says the two companies will remain competitors, which means next-gen Ford Ranger will rival the likes of upcoming VW Amarok, even though built by the same engineers.

Also read: 2020 Ford Ranger FX4: First impression