Ford is planning five new models for Europe between 2026 and 2029, marking a big refresh of its lineup. The new range is expected to include two small EVs, two crossovers with different powertrain options (from hybrids to fully electric), and the first Bronco designed specifically for the European market. That Bronco is also expected to come with both hybrid and fully electric versions.
Ford plans to reset after discontinuing long-running models like the Fiesta and Focus, while also adjusting to the slower-than-expected adoption of EVs in Europe—something many of its competitors are dealing with right now. While we already have a general idea of what’s coming, the bigger question is what these new European Ford models will actually look like, and how Ford’s recent partnerships could shape them.
To get a better sense of that, we spoke with Christian Weingaertner, managing director of Ford’s passenger car division in Europe.
This story originally appeared on Motor1 Italy
Photo by: Ford
Q: What Can You Tell Us About A Possible Partnership With Geely For The Almussafes Plant?
A: I can tell you that I’m talking to everyone. That’s the current reality of the industry. Of course, we talk to Volkswagen, to the Koch family, to Renault, but we’re also in discussions with a number of other automakers and potential partners. Because if you look at where the industry is, on one side, there’s clearly the transition to EVs—but it’s not entirely clear how fast the market will grow. As a result, every manufacturer has to invest in both propulsion technologies. And that already absorbs a lot of money.
On top of that, the market has major model fragmentation: if 25 years ago the Volkswagen Golf sold around 680,000 units in Europe, now the Dacia Sandero is at 250,000. There’s no longer a single model that can fill an entire plant by itself. There are a couple of other elements too, but these are all factors that push you to rethink how to keep building economies of scale and efficiency to bring products to market. Some automakers have consolidated a number of brands, but what they’re fundamentally doing is platform sharing, right? Like Opel and Peugeot, which share the same platform.
Volkswagen does the same across its brands, and in reality, we do it too. The difference is that for us, the boundary isn’t necessarily the corporate group—we go beyond that, because in Europe we only have the Ford brand, while in the United States we have Ford and Lincoln. In short, partnerships are very common in Europe, which is why we analyze—segment by segment—who the right partner could be, who can provide the scale we want, the cost position, competitiveness, and the platform’s technical capabilities, as well as things like timing, culture, and all those aspects that somehow have to fit together. That’s why, in full transparency, we’re talking to multiple players in the industry, and right now there’s nothing we can confirm or communicate as finalized.
Everyone is talking to everyone. That’s the situation today.
2029 Ford Europe Lineup Teaser
Photo by: Ford
Which Platform Will You Use For The Five New Cars?
For the small ones, we’ve already announced we’ll use Renault’s AMPR platform. What’s very important to underline is that the vehicle built on that platform will be a true Ford. It will have Ford design, inside and out. It will deliver the full set of Ford in-vehicle experiences and, of course, accessories. And it will retain Ford driving dynamics.
All the elements we define as “tunable”—dampers, suspension, steering ratio, and so on—will stay true to Ford tradition. Our engineers are making sure the vehicle drives and feels like a rally-bred Ford, as an example. That’s very clear.
That DNA will characterize all the models and then be carried over to whatever other platforms we use. At the moment, we haven’t made a final decision yet; we’re evaluating different options. But you can be sure they’ll all drive with the same spirit and the same DNA.
When It Comes To Electrified Powertrains, Which Technology Will You Use—Full Hybrid, Plug-In, EREV, Or Mild-Hybrid?
It depends on the vehicle. We’ll have different powertrain systems, but we’ll have everything from full electric to hybrid. It depends heavily on the segment, the competition, and how customers use them. Those kinds of factors matter a lot. In general, platform means production.
Photo by: Ford
Will The Small EV Be Built In France?
Yes, but not necessarily. We can also take the platform and install it somewhere else. It obviously depends on the partner and what we agree with them. But in this case, yes. And the reason is very simple—and it’s no secret: the smaller the vehicles get, the thinner the margins become.
What About The Small SUV?
Yes. The two products we’re developing together with Renault will be built at a Renault plant on the AMPR platform. Yes. The main reason is what I said earlier. We used to sell 350,000 or 400,000 Fiesta units in a year—25 years ago; today that’s no longer possible. There isn’t a vehicle on the market that sells that much. That’s why it makes perfect sense to run vehicles on the same platform down the same line. That way, you can fully utilize all the robots and equipment in place, achieving much higher cost efficiency than installing 100,000 units here, 100,000 there, and 100,000 somewhere else. That’s the strategy.
Have You Chosen The Plant For The Other Two Crossovers?
No.
Photo by: Renault
You Said You’ll Bring Your DNA To The New Models. Is That Because Customers Want Rally DNA, Or You Think They Might Love It?
Both. We continuously conduct research—on both the brand overall and on individual products. And what people truly like are sporty vehicles. Something that feels like it can go fast if needed. Not everyone needs that every day, of course. But people like having sporty vehicles, both in design and, obviously, in driving behavior. To be honest, we started with this hypothesis because of what we’ve been trying to demonstrate today: Ford is a global racing company.
It’s a fundamental part of our DNA. We have outstanding performance vehicles like the Raptor and the Mustang. And if you translate that to the European market, rally history is very much present. That’s where we have deep tradition and strength. We took that hypothesis and tested it through multiple research activities. Customers tell us in particular that when they see vehicles built around this approach, they love them.
And that confirmed it for us. It made us say: OK, we want to play in that space, and we want to capitalize on the heritage and the trust that come from 100 years of presence here. Including competing, for example, against new rivals. Because they may have the vehicle with the most screens, but they don’t have any history or connection with European customers.
So yes, the car will obviously have a screen—no question—but we want vehicles that are true to our brand, and that’s what we feel we have in this territory.
Photo by: Ford
In Europe, Ford’s Story Is Tied To Fiesta And Focus. Could Those Names Return On New Models?
That’s a very good question, and it’s one we haven’t answered internally yet. Everyone will think about it, but we haven’t made any decision yet. What we will definitely have are vehicles… I mean, the old Fiesta won the World Rally Championship in 2017, I believe. There’s a lot of history in some of these names, but in life, there are always consequences. So, we haven’t made any decision on the names.
It Wasn’t Possible To Keep The Fiesta Alive For The Next Few Years, Maybe With Mild-Hybrid Engines? Or Was Ending It A Decision To Move On From The Past?
It wasn’t so much about moving on from the past. The reality is that there are emissions regulations of all kinds, and you always have to decide whether to keep spending money there or spend it somewhere else. Every dollar can only be spent once. And at that time, the industry’s general perception was that EV adoption would grow much faster. That led people to think investing in older technology wasn’t as sensible.
Also, as I tried to describe earlier, model fragmentation kept shrinking volumes at our plant. At some point, you have to say it’s no longer worth it. That’s what ultimately drove the decision. We know that many customers love the Fiesta, but we’re a business, and we have to pay the bills. From a financial perspective, at the time, the company concluded it didn’t make sense. But that doesn’t mean you can’t reflect on what you just described.
Are You Pushing Europe Toward Another Revision Of Emission Rules?
We’re trying. The problem is that the regulatory curve doesn’t match the customer-demand curve. That’s the reality. There are markets like Norway and some Nordic countries that are pretty advanced. But there are other markets, like Italy, that aren’t there yet. And the issue is: if you force all Italians to buy an electric car right now, the only way to do that is to shower them with money, right? And who’s putting up that money? Either Italians themselves—and citizens obviously aren’t willing to do that right now—or the Italian government or automakers.
Neither governments nor automakers have unlimited funds. Our push with lawmakers aims to be realistic about where customer demand is and where the regulatory framework and battery cost base are today, for example. Because what we see in the market today is that most of the time, battery-electric vehicles are slightly more expensive than some internal-combustion vehicles.
And it’s not because we add a markup to make more money. It’s because raw materials are very expensive. Lawmakers simply need to be realistic about what’s possible to avoid losing public support. Because if you look at the political landscape across European countries, there’s already a lot of frustration out there.
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