Will Volkswagen Use Ford Plants to Build Cars in the U.S.?
New details on the alliance emerge
We already knew that Volkswagen is partnering with Ford on commercial vehicles. We also found out there’s a chance VW will make cars for Ford in Europe and Ford will make a Ranger-based pickup for VW. Now, the CEO of VW says his company may use Ford’s factories in the U.S. to build cars.
“We are building an alliance with Ford which will strengthen Ford’s position in Europe because we will share platforms,” VW CEO Herbert Diess told reporters in Washington, D.C. “We might use Ford capacity here in the U.S. to build cars for us.”
Expect more news on the alliance in January. Whatever the automakers cook up, it will not involve VW taking an equity stake in Ford, Diess confirmed.
Ford is keeping mum about the exact details of its alliance with VW. In a statement to us, Ford said, “Our MOU [memorandum of understanding] with VW covers conversations about potential collaborations across a number of areas. It is premature to share additional details at this time.”