Ford will unveil its first VW MEB-based EV on March 21

Max McDee, 24 February 2023

Head of Ford’s EV division in Europe, Martin Sander, took to Twitter earlier on and posted a short video of the chief designer Amko Leenarts during an interview. Leenarts is filmed mid-conversation and then lifts the covers - just a little bit - off the upcoming electric crossover.

With our brand-new EV being revealed next month, it’s now time we start getting excited.
Here’s @amko_leenarts showing us that you can expect rebellious, uncompromising, SUV heritage reimagined for the #EV era.

Join us on March 21st! #ExploringReinvented #ElectricVehicle pic.twitter.com/LulZXIFJSG
— Martin Sander (@MSander22) February 23, 2023

The date of unveiling has been confirmed as March 21 and the marketing machine is clearly on the move, we can expect more snippets and leaked images in the coming weeks. The new EV crossover is based on VW's MEB platform. This being the smaller vehicle out of the two that Ford will produce with VW’s help, we expect it to be similar in size to VW ID.4, although its shape will be far more adventurous.

Ford claims the new electric car will be “rebellious and uncompromising - an SUV reimagined for the EV era.” Looking at the spy photos we have seen so far, it is hard to find any signs of the rebelliousness but the compromise seems to be present all over it. In essence it will be just a dressed up VW ID.4 but we will patiently await the unveiling to make up our minds.

Ford's new EV spied earlier on this year

Since the new Ford is based on the ID.4 we can expect to see the same drivetrains. Ford will have a choice of two batteries with either 55 kWh or 77 kWh capacity. If the company decides to go for the lowest spec entry model similar to VW ID.4 Pure, then we will be treated to a 148 hp single-motor RWD version. The hope remains that Ford decides to go for the hot version and will borrow the AWD dual-motor 299 hp setup from the ID.4 GTX.

The driving range won’t be revolutionary, but it won’t be horrible either - single motor RWD versions of the ID.4 get EPA rating of over 400 km which is more than enough for most scenarios. It will be interesting to see the interior and if Ford goes for the VW’s software or uses its own - this could be a deal breaker for many people.