V olkswagen and Ford want to cooperate according to insiders in the construction of vans and in other areas. The Supervisory Board of the Wolfsburg Group have given the green light for talks with the second largest American carmaker to explore ways for cooperation, said two people with knowledge of the facts of the news agency Reuters on Tuesday. The goal is an alliance to share development and production costs. There have already been some initial contacts. Now the talks should be deepened. Another insider said VW will announce details of a strategic cooperation in the evening.
VW declined to comment on a possible cooperation with Ford. “As a leading car manufacturer, we are considering various economic collaborative projects with other companies in all regions of the world,” a spokesperson said. A Ford spokesman said that the company has worked with a number of companies and will continue to work together. It also discussed issues related to its own business plan. For obvious reasons of competition, these deliberations would be private. That’s why Ford does not comment on any speculation.
The background to establishing contacts is also reported to be that for cars with passenger car registration from 2020, the same CO2 standards apply in Europe as for passenger cars. Manufacturers who exceed the limits, penalties. Vehicles such as the van or the Crafter VW have greater drag due to their design and often consume more fuel than smaller passenger cars.
http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/unternehmen/vw-und-ford-loten-allianz-bei-transportern-aus-15649268.html