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Volkswagen confirms Ford partnership talks nearly finalized, will extend to EVs

Volkswagen confirms Ford partnership talks nearly finalized, will extend to EVs

The company hopes its collaboration with Ford will strengthen its US presence, hedging against China.

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess has reportedly confirmed that the company's talks with Ford are close to being finalized and will include a collaboration on electric vehicles.

The negotiations are "progressing well" in the late stages, the executive told a group of senior managers and executives, according to Bloomberg.

"Without a strong presence in the US -- still our weakest region -- global trade conflicts risk putting us in a dire situation," he said. "Today we are a company that's strongly influenced by China. We need a counterweight in the US."

The German automaker has already established a partnership with Ford on pickup trucks and commercial vans. The latest talks are said to focus on autonomous technology and electric vehicles.

Unconfirmed reports suggest VW may be willing to share its all-electric MEB platform architecture, while Ford will provide access to autonomous technology via its Argo AI division.

Image by Ronan Glon.