Ford's electric plans may not include Ranger

Monday, 16 September 2019

Ford's Australasian boss has indicated that the first full electric vehicles Ford will deliver to Kiwis will most likely come from Europe and have Volkswagen DNA.

But the idea that this might include the next generation Ranger - that is being developed right now in Melbourne and is also going to be the new VW Amarok - is an issue Kay Hart, the president and chief executive officer of Ford New Zealand and Australia, is steering clear of.

Speaking while at the V8 Supercar round at Pukekohe, Hart indicated interest in last week's activity by VW, which is providing a conduit for Ford's EV foray.

Don't get your hopes up; a Ranger EV is looking unlikely at this stage.

She agrees Europe - where Ford has also just announced details of an electric onslaught, in part based on the same platform that underpins VW's ID models - seems a logical sourcing point for NZ-bound Blue Oval electrics.

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In comment apparently timed with the unveiling at last week's Frankfurt motor show of the first of VWs cars, the ID.3 hatchback, Ford announced it would be launching eight EVs in Europe by the end of 2022 - the big one being the Mustang-inspired electric SUV it has developed in-house.

What does that mean for our market?

'We have no plans or announcements at this stage but I would say that the news out of Europe is exciting for us,' Hart said.

Volkswagen's MEB platform that debuted under the ID.3 will form the basis of future Ford EVs.

'I don't have a time to give you… but we're excited by our electrification plans. We have clearly made a big bet in terms of our electrification programme globally and that stands in good stead for us here in NZ in terms of what we are looking at doing.

'The NZ market works very closely with Europe in terms of their (Ford NZ's) vehicles - you can see that in terms of what we import at the moment.'

The only Ford with electric assist confirmed for NZ at the moment is a plug-in hybrid version of the new-generation Escape compact SUV, which sits on the new Focus platform. It goes on sale early next year.

The one-tonne ute sector is also showing sign of plugging in; Mitsubishi is reportedly developing a plug-in hybrid version of the Triton while Toyota has indicated plans to release a hybrid Hilux by 2025.

The Ranger, Ford NZ's strongest seller, might be excluded from tapping into the grid, however.

VW chief operating officer, Ralf Branstatter, told Australian media guests at Frankfurt several days ago that Amarok will miss out on electrification altogether.

The only electrified Ford confirmed for New Zealand so far is the Escape plug-in hybrid.

When asked what this conceivably means for Ranger, and whether it is fair to assume the model lines will have common drivetrains, Hart was resolutely coy.

'I cannot comment on anything VW has said and we have nothing to announce.'

Yes, it's true 'they (VW) are a partner in part of the development, in terms of that new platform' and, yes, VW's comment is of interest, but only insofar that 'we always monitor what our competitors are saying and what they are doing. But we have nothing to announce.'

The current generation Ranger was designed in Australia and Hart says her operation is immensely proud it retained the job of bringing the new one to market.

'The team in Australia is right on track working on the new platform at the moment. We are extremely proud that it is led out of the Ford Australia team.'

Earlier this year images leaked of a vehicle, caught out testing in a Melbourne suburb, purported to be the new model. Ford has never confirmed nor denied, but it was sensitive at the time. Has there been further fallout?

'No fallout, these things happen,' says Hart. 'It was pure speculation as to what that unit was and what the images showed and were.'

As to when next Ranger might show? Speculation out of Australia is that it could be a 2021 arrival, which conceivably means it would get the jump on Amarok, which VW insists is a 2022 release.

'It's fairly early to be asking that question,' said Hart. 'We have no dates at this stage. That's all conjecture.'

Ford's electric plan for Europe also includes battery-assisted versions of current models, including the Mondeo sedan, the Kuga and Puma SUVs. But it also insists it will launch nine other electrics by 2024.

Prior to the announcement of the agreement, Ford had already laid out a US$11.5 billion electrification strategy for 16 electric vehicles globally by 2022. VW's electric ambitions are much broader, with around 70 VW Group models set to be influenced.

VW has estimated it can realise up to US$20 billion in revenue by sharing its architecture with Ford and,in return for sharing MEB, VW gains access to Ford's Argo A1 self-driving programme.

Ford, in turn, had said it expects to build more than 600,000 electric vehicles in Europe, from its own plants, over six years and expects its electric vehicle line-up to surpass sales of petrol and diesel models there within a couple of years.

The MEB platform share is not entirely global though; Ford has indicated North America will require a larger platform for vehicles designed foremost for the United States and Canada.