Ford will be making another attempt at the electric vehicle (EV) segment by borrowing underpinnings from a rival car maker to try and deliver affordable EVs, with a new deal with Renault to use their Ampere Platform, which underpins the Renault 5, Renault 4 and Alpine A290 (and the Nissan Micra).
Key Aspects of Ampere:
Ampere is a distinct company within Renault Group, focused solely on electric passenger cars, leveraging tech expertise from major tech firms. It develops vehicles with centralised software, enabling over-the-air updates, new features, and personalisation, similar to upgrading a phone.
Ampere uses specific EV platforms like AmpR Small (for cars like Renault 5) and AmpR Medium, allowing for economies of scale.
It operates within Renault’s highly productive French industrial ecosystem, including the Douai plant, producing EVs for Renault, Alpine, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. Aims to democratize EVs by combining advanced tech with cost competitiveness, targeting significant market share in core European segments.
Technology Focus: Employs high-performance computers, a proprietary “CAR OS,” and AI-driven tools (like Google’s Gemini) for development, creating connected, intelligent vehicles.
Jim Farley, Ford CEO, said, “The strategic partnership with Renault Group marks an important step for Ford and supports our strategy to build a highly efficient and fit-for-the future business in Europe. We will combine Renault Group’s industrial scale and EV assets with Ford’s iconic design and driving dynamics to create vehicles that are fun, capable, and distinctly Ford in spirit.”
This new partnership between Ford and Renault will see two new Ford EVs arriving in 2028 where one of which will be an electric successor to the Ford Fiesta (pictured here) and the other will be cooperation on light commercial vehicles (small vans and wagons).
It’s an interesting move by Ford to get back into the electric vehicle game, after heavy losses.
Renault will build two battery-electric cars for Ford on the company’s AmpR small EV platform starting in 2028 as part of a partnership between the two automakers that also includes a potential agreement to jointly develop vans.
