Ford has announced plans to significantly ramp up its electrification efforts in Europe, outlining seven new EV models for the region and massive new investment in an assembly plant in Cologne, Germany. The new generation of electric vehicles will include passenger and commercial models, with manufacturing to be supported by what could become one of Europe's biggest battery factories.
Last year, we saw Ford begin to throw more weight behind its electric vehicle vision for Europe, announcing plans to sell exclusively 100-percent EVs on the continent by 2030. This was accompanied by a US$1-billion investment in a vehicle assembly facility in Cologne, which it is rebranding as the Ford Cologne Electrification Center, its first dedicated production plant for EVs.
The company announced on Monday that its investment in the Cologne plant will total $2 billion, as it funds the production of three new passenger vehicles and four new commercial vehicles for the European market. The first cab off the rank will be a five-seat medium-sized crossover with a claimed 500-km (310-mile) range, with the name to be revealed later this year and production to kick off in 2023. A sports crossover will join the lineup in 2024.
Four models of the Transit will begin to appear in 2023, including the one-tonne Transit Custom van and Tourneo Custom multipurpose van, along with smaller variants the year after. An all-electric version of the Ford Puma, the company's best-selling passenger vehicle in Europe last year, is also planned for 2024.
“These new Ford electric vehicles signal what is 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 Stuart Rowley, chair, Ford of Europe.
Set to play an important part in this strategy is a new battery manufacturing plant planned for Turkey that is set to become one of Europe's largest. Details are yet to be finalized, but the plant would manufacture nickel NMC cells for use in battery modules, with an expected annual capacity of between 30 and 45 GWh. Production of the cells is slated to kick off around 2025.
More detail is available on the new electric cars and vans in the video below.
Source: Ford
