Ford Of Europe’s Team Edison Gets New Leader In Critical Role

September 29, 2020 7:29 am

It’s no secret that the development of electric vehicles is paramount to the continued survival of automakers. Ford is currently diving head-first into the EV space, testing out the forthcoming Ford F-150 EV and signing a new labor deal with Unifor that includes a large investment in retooling the Ford Oakville Assembly Plant to produce five electric vehicles beginning in 2025. This quantum shift in strategy will also fall on Ford of Europe’s new director of Team Edison, Ulrich Koesters.

Ulrich Koesters, Director, Team Edison, Ford of Europe

Koesters is leading the regional Team Edison, responsible for the development and marketing of electrified vehicles for Ford in Europe, including locally produced as well as imported programs. In addition, he also leads the development of the future Ford product based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform and is the Ford lead in the cooperation with Volkswagen on electrification.

Previously, Koesters was chief engineer Chassis and Lincoln Corsair for Ford Motor Company in the U.S. Since joining Ford in 1991, Koesters has held a variety of Product Development roles at Ford Motor Company in Germany, the U.K., and the United States, including vehicle line director, Ford of Europe, for large cars. Koesters graduated with a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen in 1991.

Ford and Volkswagen officially signed off on a landmark partnership deal back in June following months of negotiations. The deal includes a variety of future joint projects between the automakers, including the aforementioned Ford built on VW’s MEB platform, a $2.6 billion investment by VW in Ford-backed self-driving software company Argo AI, a mid-size pickup built by Ford for VW, a new city delivery van for both companies based on the VW Caddy, and a one-ton cargo van created by Ford.

Ford created Team Edison nearly three years ago specifically to focus on the automaker’s electrification strategy. At that time, FoMoCo said that its goal was to take a holistic look at the electric vehicle market, while thinking big, moving fast, and making quick decisions.

We’ll have more on Ford’s EV strategy soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford business news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.