Ford CEO Jim Farley acknowledged that the automaker is involved “A fight for our lives in our industry” Because it wants to remain competitive in Europe amid pressure from Chinese competitors. One of its weapons to avoid those threats is its partnership with French automaker Renault Group.
The two automakers announced a deal on Tuesday to bring two affordable Ford-branded electric vehicles to the European market in 2028. Ford will lead the design and Renault will assemble the vehicles at its factory in northern France. The EV will be built on Renault’s technology platform known as Ampere.
The companies have also agreed to “explore” building light commercial vehicles together.
This partnership is part of what Ford described The next phase of its European transformation – A plan aimed at making US automakers more agile and cost-efficient in the market by combining them with cheaper Chinese vehicles from companies like BYD and SAIC Motor.
“As an American company, we see Europe as the vanguard in the global transformation of our industry,” Farley said in a statement. “How we compete here – how we innovate, partner, and invest – will write the playbook for the next generation. We are committed to a vibrant future in Europe, but that future requires us to move with greater speed and efficiency than ever before.”
