Ford is mounting a seven-model offensive in Europe through 2029, leaning on a partnership with Renault and a new electric van to claw back ground after its German passenger-car market share slid to 3.3% in 2024 — down from 4% the year before. The push spans compact EVs, crossovers, and commercial vehicles, with production anchored in Europe and, for one model, China.
Renault's platform, Ford's tuning
The headline move is a formal partnership with Renault, announced December 9, 2025. Two EVs built on Renault's Ampere platform are slated to debut in early 2028, assembled at Renault's ElectriCity plant in northern France. Ford is positioning them as B-segment entries — roughly the size of the discontinued Fiesta and Focus — targeting cost-conscious buyers in a segment now crowded by the Renault 5 and Chinese imports.
Ford insists the cars won't feel like rebadged Renaults. Christian Weingärtner, head of Ford Europe's passenger-car division, says engineers will tune the chassis, steering, and handling to give the cars a "true Ford" feel rooted in the brand's rally heritage. The economic logic is straightforward: developing an affordable EV platform from scratch no longer pencils out when you can share costs with a volume partner.
An electric van from China
On the commercial side, Ford unveiled the Transit City electric van in March 2026. It carries a 56 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, a claimed 254-kilometer range under the WLTP EU test standard — roughly 158 miles — and a starting price of €30,000 before VAT. Orders open in May 2026, with first deliveries expected in December 2026.
The Transit City is built in China by joint-venture partner JMC, which keeps costs well below the €58,000 E-Transit Custom. It comes in multiple body configurations, including a chassis cab for custom upfits. Ford is targeting corporate fleets locked out of European city centers by low-emission zone rules.
Five passenger models by 2029
Beyond the Renault-platform EVs, Ford's European passenger lineup will add five models before the end of 2029. The list includes a European-market Bronco, a compact SUV built in Valencia starting in 2028, a small urban electric crossover, and two additional crossovers on multi-energy platforms — meaning they'll support internal-combustion engine, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), or battery-electric powertrains depending on the market.
Ford is also pushing European regulators to keep PHEVs and range-extender EVs viable during the transition, citing small businesses that can't easily electrify commercial fleets due to slow grid connections and limited public charging infrastructure.
What this means for the US
None of these European models are confirmed for North America. The Ampere-platform EVs are sized and priced for a European market that has no direct US equivalent in Ford's current lineup. The Transit City, built in China and subject to Section 301 tariffs of 100% on Chinese-made EVs, has no stated US launch plan. Stateside buyers waiting for an affordable Ford EV will need to watch for separate announcements tied to the Explorer EV or next-generation Mustang Mach-E.
