Overview
- Ford says the first of two small electric models will be produced at Renault’s Douai plant in northern France with market launch targeted for 2028.
- The vehicles will be Ford-designed using Renault technology, and the companies also signed a memorandum to explore joint light commercial vehicles.
- Cologne is not assigned the new models, with reports citing 3,700 job cuts and the loss of an entire shift as the local works council warns about the plant’s future.
- A voluntary severance program in Cologne is reportedly drawing strong acceptance, with compulsory layoffs possible if targets are not reached.
- Executives frame the tie-up as a response to BYD and other Chinese rivals, and Ford’s European strategy already includes platform sharing with Volkswagen.