COLOGNE, Germany—Ford Motor Co.’s flagship factory here will be ground zero for its new $1 billion electric vehicle initiative. By 2026, the automaker claims that 100 percent of its passenger vehicle lineup in Europe will be either all-electric or plug-in hybrid, evolving to all-electric by 2030.
The investment will transform the existing assembly operation into the Ford Cologne Electrification Center for the manufacture of electric vehicles, Ford’s first such facility in Europe.
The automaker’s first mas-produced, all-electric passenger vehicle for European customers will be produced at the facility starting in 2023. As part of its strategic alliance with Volkswagen AG, some of the vehicles that Ford will produce at the plant in the future will use VW components, such as batteries and e-axles
“Our announcement to transform our Cologne facility, the home of our operations in Germany for 90 years, is one of the most significant Ford has made in over a generation,” says Stuart Rowley, president of Ford of Europe. “It underlines our commitment to Europe and a modern future with electric vehicles at the heart of our strategy for growth.”
