Ford wants to show the world just how serious it is when it comes to electrification, with a new battery-powered SUV that shares its platform with the Volkswagen ID. series of electric vehicles. The model is set to premiere by March 21, 2023.
With our brand-new EV being revealed next month, it’s now time we start getting excited.
— Martin Sander (@MSander22) February 23, 2023
Here’s @amko_leenarts showing us that you can expect rebellious, uncompromising, SUV heritage reimagined for the #EV era.
Join us on March 21st! #ExploringReinvented #ElectricVehicle pic.twitter.com/LulZXIFJSG
This was teased by Martin Sander, general manager for Ford Model e Europe in a video tweet. The clip shows Ford of Europe Director of Design Amko Leenarts standing beside a covered vehicle and lifting the sheets just enough to reveal a two-tone aero-designed alloy wheel wrapped in a low-profile tire. Previous teasers show the crossover shrouded in darkness, highlighting only the L-shaped daytime running lights.
The world’s fourth-largest automaker will be welcoming the latest addition to its lineup of fully electric models, joining the current Mustang Mach-E compact SUV, F-150 Lightning full-size light-duty pickup, and E-Transit light commercial vehicle.
Ford will be marketing the new contender between the Puma electric crossover and the Mach-E, the former arriving in developed markets in 2024. This is part of Ford’s overhaul of its European lineup, among which is the coming demise of the Fiesta nameplate later in 2023, followed by the departure of the Focus range in 2025.
Ford of Europe Design Director Amko Leenarts shows the upcoming Ford electric SUV's alloy wheel
Reports say that the upcoming SUV will be underpinned by the MEB (Modularer E-Antriebs Baukasten, ‘modular electric-drive toolkit’) platform also used by the Volkswagen ID. series of battery-electric vehicles. Ford’s version is described as a midsize model and is scheduled for production in Cologne, Germany.
No technical details have been disclosed, although this is supposedly one of two Ford analogs to Volkswagen’s ID.4 and ID.5 models. Ford is speculated to be using the dual-motor, all-wheel drivetrain rated just short of 300 horsepower and 460 Nm of torque, owing to its partnership with the German brand.
Ford's efforts at refocusing its European operations will include the demise of the Fiesta by 2025
One of the more notable products from this partnership was the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok midsize pickup launched in mid-2022, built on the current Forf Ranger’s T6 platform.
To date, there is no confirmation that Ford’s newest EV will be the e-SUV reportedly developed in partnership with Red Bull, described by Ford CEO Jim Farley as a ‘strategically important’ product for the automaker.
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