Following years of discussions, Ford and Volkswagen signed off on a landmark partnership agreement back in June 2020, and since then, that pairing has led to multiple new products, including the Ford Ranger based Volkswagen Amarok, as well as the VW Caddy based Ford Tourneo Connect, which actually applies Blue Oval names to VW engines, and a pair of Ford EV crossovers built on Volkswagen’s MEB platform. However, there’s much more to come, including a possible 4×4 VW model utilizing the Ranger’s platform, as well as a new Volkswagen Transport van built by Ford at the Otosan Assembly plant in Turkey. Now, we’re learning that the next-gen Transporter will in fact be based on the brand new Ford E-Transit Custom, according to Autocar.
This news is significant for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that the new Transporter was previously expected to be based on the full-size Ford Transit. Now, it seems as if that same model will instead be based on the Ford E-Transit Custom – which is also built at Otosan – and it will be engineered and built by The Blue Oval as well, rather than VW’s Hanover, Germany plant, which is where the current-gen Transporter is currently produced.
This wil mark the first time the Transporter will be available in all-electric guise, and it will be sold in a variety of trims and configurations including a nine-seat Shuttle, two-row Kombi, and a cargo-carrying panel van, along with a possible Sportline model. With these changes, the Transporter will no longer serve as the basis for the California camper, however, which will soon be based on the Multivan MPV instead.
The new Ford E-Transit Custom based EV Transporter is expected to use that model’s battery and motors, while PHEV and diesel variants will follow suit with the same powertrains as the regular Transit Custom. The main differences between the two models will come from exterior and interior design, with each sporting its own distinctive look in that regard.
We’ll have more on Ford and Volkswagen’s partnership soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Transit news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
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