COLOGNE, Germany -- Ford will unveil the second full-electric model to be built at its plant here on July 10.
Ford started production of its first new electric car in Cologne, the Explorer compact SUV, on May 5 following a $2 billion upgrade of the plant to switch to making electric cars from building the Fiesta combustion-powered small car.
The second model's silhouette, visible from camouflaged prototypes seen at the factory, shows a more coupe-like styling compared with the chunkier off-roader shape of the Explorer. The new EV will be called the Capri, media reports have said.
Ford has not confirmed the Capri name. It describes the model as "sports crossover."
Calling it the Capri would revive a nameplate from Ford’s back catalogue of sports cars. Ford built the Capri fastback between 1968 and 1986 and sold 1.8 million units through three generations. Ford revived another name from its past in 2019 with the Puma. The small SUV is now the brand’s best-seller in Europe.
Both Ford BEVs use Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform as part of an industrial partnership between the two automakers.
The relationship between the Explorer and the new sports crossover will be similar to that of the VW ID4 SUV and ID5 crossover coupe, which also use the MEB platform.
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Ford's sports crossover will be built on the same line as the Explorer at the Cologne plant. Production will be between one-third and two-thirds that of the more mainstream Explorer, Ford indicated to journalists during a recent visit to the factory.
Ford has the potential to build 250,000 units annually of the two cars on three shifts. The company will start production on two shifts.
Prototypes of the sports crossover were visible on the production line ahead of the July launch and the start of full production later this year.
The new model is likely to be priced close to the levels of the Explorer, which starts at €49,500 in Germany for the long-range version that Ford says can travel up to 602 km (374 miles) between recharging stops.
A shorter-range version of the Explorer costing around €42,500 will be available to order later this year.
The new sports crossover will rival the ID5 as well as the coupe version of the related Skoda Enyaq. Other rivals will include the new Smart #3, the Volvo C40 Recharge, the Nissan Ariya and the Renault Megane E-Tech.
Ford has switched to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology for the Explorer in a bid to reduce costs. The chemistry is more durable, allowing for a greater number of charging cycles than nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry.
