FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Ford (F.N) are in preliminary talks over a development and production alliance for commercial transporter vans, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The Ford logo is seen at the New York Auto Show in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday after Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) supervisory board gave its managers a green light to strike a deal with U.S.-based Ford, two Germany-based sources said.
The goal is a partnership to share development and production costs, the sources said. Some preliminary talks have already been held, one of them said.
Volkswagen declined to comment on a possible alliance with Ford, but said: “As a leading automotive producer we consider various joint ventures with other companies across the globe.”
Ford Chief Executive Jim Hackett said it was “premature” to discuss a possible deal with VW on vans.
Ford in Europe had no immediate comment.
Reporting by Jan Schwartz; Additional reporting by Joe White in Detroit; Writing by Edward Taylor; Editing by Sabine Wollrab and Adrian Croft