Ford is on track to introduce a brand new, fully electric crossover by 2023, one that will be underpinned by Volkswagen’s MEB modular electric platform. The move stems from Ford and Volkswagen’s long-term partnership, which will see the automakers work together on several regionally-focused cars, including this European-specific EV.
According to an Autocar report, the new EV will be positioned below the Mustang Mach-E, and the bulk of its underpinnings will be shared with the ID.4 crossover rather than the ID.3 hatch. Expect the new Ford EV to be offered with varying levels of output, trim levels and range.
Just to quickly recap, there are currently eight ID.4 models on offer, with battery sizes ranging from 52 kWh to 77 kWh. The latter offers up to 520 km of range (WLTP) on a single charge, and the electric SUV can be had with as much as 204 PS. You may check out our detailed look at the ID.4’s chassis setup, here.
The report also stated that the first unveil will take place in the first half of 2022, and that the crossover will adopt a low-slung, two-box profile as the ID.4. Ford of Europe boss, Stuart Rowley recently told the publication that he will “leverage Ford’s American heritage as a point of differentiation” from rival firms, so expect some American design influences in the final product.
Previously, there were rumours saying the Mondeo nameplate will be reintroduced on a mid-size crossover, but reports say a revival of the Mondeo is very unlikely. Will the Blue Oval use any historically significant monikers as it did with the Puma and Bronco? Time will tell. Ford also reportedly won’t be using its ST or RS monikers for the ID.4 GTX equivalent.
While the design direction is not known, reports are saying that the cabin of the new electric crossover will be heavily influenced by the China-only Ford Evos. As seen in the image above, the dash features an incredible 27-inch (1.1 metre-long!) 4K touchscreen infotainment display that’s powered by Ford’s Sync+ 2.0, though the Evos’ infotainment system is paired with Baidu AI technology.
However, the Euro EV crossover will most likely be fitted with Google’s Android operating system, following a partnership agreement announced earlier this February. The partnership will see Ford and Lincoln models at all price points get Android OS, complete with built-in apps like Google Maps, Google voice assistant and Google Play.
Ford aims to deliver upwards of 600,000 MEB-based electric vehicles between 2023 and 2029, with plans to add potentially two more fully electric cars based on Volkswagen’s electric architecture.
The post Ford’s first VW MEB-based fully electric crossover to get ID.4 tech with US styling – below Mustang Mach-E appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
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