VW and Ford partner on AV tech and EVs

994 Volkswagen and 278 Ford are expanding their global alliance to focus on autonomous vehicles (AV) technology and electric vehicles (EVs).

VW is to invest $2.6 billion in Argo AI, an AV technology company backed by Ford.

The partners will integrate Argo AI’s self-driving system into purpose-built vehicles to support initiatives focused on moving people and goods.

As part of the deal, Ford is to use VW’s EV architecture and Modular Electric Toolkit - or MEB - to deliver zero-emission vehicles in Europe from 2023.

Ford is hoping to deliver more than 600,000 vehicles using the MEB architecture over six years, with a second Ford model.

VW CEO Dr. Herbert Diess says: “Scaling our MEB drives down development costs for zero-emissions vehicles, allowing for a broader and faster global adoption of EVs.”