Author: Michael Martinez

A tie-up with VW could help Ford right its struggling European business, but some analysts expressed concern that Ford is giving away more than it’s getting in return.

In 2016, Ford said it would largely pass over Level 3 autonomy, but now it’s embracing a more gradual approach to fully autonomous vehicles.

Ford’s North America chief Kumar Galhotra said Lincoln’s battery EVs will stay true to the brand’s “quiet luxury” theme.

Ford said it expects revenue and earnings to improve this year compared with 2018, even as it reported a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter profit. Shares still fell 5.2 percent in midday trading. 

The budding alliance between Ford and Volkswagen eventually could include a vehicle program in the U.S., said Jim Farley, Ford’s president of global markets.

Speaking Tuesday at the Wolfe Research Global Auto Industry Conference in Detroit, Hau Thai-Tang said Ford’s battery-electric offerings will be “contribution margin positive.”

Ford and Volkswagen said they’ll collaborate on commercial vans and midsize pickups, and are exploring the joint development of autonomous and electric vehicles as part of a broad partnership designed to save both companies money.

The Chinese automaker is using the Detroit auto show to shed more light on its U.S. ambitions and introduce a three-row SUV concept.

Executive Chairman Bill Ford said he’s encouraged by Volkswagen’s new management team and the steps it has taken following the diesel emissions scandal.

With SUV sales stronger than ever, the Explorer is returning to a brawnier rear-wheel-drive platform and leveraging its roots as a go-anywhere, ready-for-adventure vehicle.