Overview
- Two Ford-branded electric passenger cars will be designed by Ford, developed with Renault, and built at Renault’s ElectriCity in northern France, with the first due in early 2028.
- The companies signed a letter of intent to assess joint development and manufacturing of selected light commercial vehicles for European customers.
- Ford says the models target smaller, cheaper segments using Renault’s platform to accelerate time to market and reduce investment as Chinese brands expand in Europe.
- CEO Jim Farley warned western automakers are “in a fight for our lives” in Europe and urged policymakers to align CO2 targets with demand, bolster purchase incentives, expand charging and ease rules on vans.
- Renault signaled support for EU local-content rules set around 60% across passenger vehicles, cautioning that reliance on imported batteries makes tougher thresholds hard to meet.