Volkswagen and Ford have announced a partnership to build commercial vans and medium-duty trucks to meet anticipated growth in those segments.
In addition, Volkswagen and Ford will look into collaborating on autonomous vehicles, mobility services and electric vehicles and have already started to explore opportunities, according to Ford.
The announcement follows VW’s nod to electric pickups at the L.A. Auto Show in December.
“It’ll come. One will come. I think there’s an opportunity there,” VW Group of America President and CEO Scott Keogh told Equipment World sister site Hard Working Trucks when asked about the likelihood of an electric pickup shortly after revealing his company’s all-electric I.D. Buzz Cargo concept van shown above (video of the interview is posted below).
“If you look at most of the big pickups, 70 percent is commercial,” Keogh continued. “Can you get them what they need with the batteries today? For longer term, it’s going to happen. I have no doubts. It’s a smart concept, a smart idea.”
VW’s partnership with Ford is expected to generate vans and medium-duty trucks for global markets beginning as early as 2022. However, it’s not clear at this point if any of those vehicles will be electric.
