Ford and Volkswagen exploring strategic alliance

Volkswagen and Ford announced on June 19 that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding and were exploring a strategic alliance designed to strengthen each company’s competitiveness and better serve customers globally.

As the companies say in a press release, they are exploring potential projects across a number of areas. They add, however, that the potential alliance would not involve equity arrangements, including cross ownership stakes.

Ford's biggest commercial vehicles are the Transit van, sold worldwide, and its F-series pickups, the best sold vehicle in its category in the USA.

In addition to Volkwagen vehicles, the German company also owns Scania and MAN commercial vehicles. Asked about concrete areas of cooperation, Ford's PR said that it was too early to come out with such details.

However, alliances between car manufacturers aiming to pool resources and reduce the costs of the development of new technologies due to the rising demand for ecology vehicles, are not a new phenomenon. Earlier this year, Volkswagen's truck and bus sector and Toyota's truck manufacturer Hino Motors agreed partnership in the development of the technologies of hybrid vehicles, networking, electric vehicles and automated driving systems.

Ford

Volkswagen

Transit van

F series pickups

Scania

MAN

Hino Motors

Toyota

strategic alliance of Ford and Volkswagen