Ford and Volkswagen Collaboration

It has been announced that Ford and VW are collaborating on a shared autonomous vehicle platform. Volkswagen’s electric vehicle technology will be shared with the development of commercial vans and medium pickups.

Agro AI, will see a joint investment of more that $7 billion. Ford and Volkswagen will hold equal stakes in Argo AI.

The autonomous vehicle platform’s focus will be on delivering a SAE Level 4-capable SDS “to be applied for ride sharing and goods delivery services in dense urban areas”.

Jim Hackett, Ford President and CEO, said “While Ford and Volkswagen remain independent and fiercely competitive in the marketplace, teaming up and working with Argo AI on this important technology allows us to deliver unmatched capability, scale and geographic reach. Unlocking the synergies across a range of areas allows us to showcase the power of our global alliance in this era of smart vehicles for a smart world.”

Dr. Herbert Diess, Volkswagen CEO, said, “Looking ahead, even more customers and the environment will benefit from Volkswagen’s industry-leading EV architecture. Our global alliance is beginning to demonstrate even greater promise, and we are continuing to look at other areas on which we might collaborate. Scaling our MEB drives down development costs for zero-emissions vehicles, allowing for a broader and faster global adoption of electric vehicles. This improves the positions of both companies through greater capital efficiency, further growth and improved competitiveness.”

For more information, head over to Fleet News.