Ford and VW to build vans and pickups

Volkswagen and Ford have agreed to work together on the development of new commercial vans and medium-sized pickups as the companies expect a global demand for these vehicles in the next 5 years. By sharing van designs, they will save money “while maintaining distinct brand characteristics”.

The companies intend to develop new vehicles for the global markets by 2022 and then predict to boost profits from 2013.

Ford boss, Jim Hackett, said, “Over time, this alliance will help both companies create value and meet the needs of our customers and society,”

When announcing the deal at the Detroit motor show, it was announced that the companies will not own any shares in each other.

VW is to design and build a smaller van whilst Ford will design and build medium sized pickups for both companies and larger commercial vans for European customers.

The alliance would likely cover models like future versions of the Ford Transit and Ranger range, as well as the VW Transporter, Caddy and Amarok.

The companies’ 2018 collective light commercial vehicle volumes totalled around 1.2 million units globally, meaning that it could represent the industry’s highest-volume collaboration as production scales.