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Ford Reenters Small-Car Market With Renault-Built Electric Fiesta Successor

Ford is officially re-entering the affordable small-car arena it voluntarily abandoned—and it’s doing so with help from an unexpected ally. In a move that could reshape its entire European strategy, Ford has struck a landmark deal with Renault to share the French firm’s Ampr EV platform. The partnership will spawn at least two new Ford-badged electric cars starting in 2028, one of which is all but confirmed as the long-awaited successor to the Fiesta.

This isn’t a badge-swap arrangement. Ford insists the upcoming models will be “distinct Ford-branded electric vehicles”, designed by Ford teams, engineered to drive like Fords, and positioned as true alternatives—not clones—to Renault’s reborn 5 and 4.

A New Fiesta—Built in France

The first EV out of this new collaboration arrives in early 2028. It will share its core architecture with the Renault 5 and even roll off the same lines at Renault’s ElectriCity complex in Douai. But the fundamentals—steering feel, driving character, interior UX—are being developed in-house by Ford.

Under the skin, expect the familiar Ampr hardware:

  • Front-mounted motor making 121–215 hp, depending on trim
  • 40 or 52 kWh battery options, converted to more affordable LFP chemistry by the time Ford’s version lands
  • A footprint and mission that squarely place it in the void left by the Fiesta’s 2023 retirement

For a company that once depended on the Fiesta as its European workhorse for nearly half a century, this is nothing short of a comeback storyline.

A Second Model—Likely a Baby Crossover

Model No. 2? A small electric crossover based on the Renault 4. Think of it as a potential successor—or spiritual successor—to the upcoming Puma Gen-E. Timing remains unclear, but development is underway.

Ford Needs These Cars—Badly

If the Renault partnership seems unusually cozy for Ford, that’s because the company is facing real pressure in Europe.

Market share has cratered from 12% to under 4%.
Sales of the Capri and Explorer EVs have been so sluggish that Ford cut up to 1000 jobs at its Cologne plant and reduced the site to a single shift.
And with Focus production ending last month, Ford’s passenger-car lineup in Europe is now effectively a collection of Transit-derived SUVs and MPVs—none of them cheap.

In short: Ford has marched itself upmarket, and the customers didn’t follow.

Bringing back a Fiesta-sized EV at a roughly Renault-5-like price tag (around £22k) is Ford’s most realistic path back to mainstream relevance—and a far more cost-effective one than developing a clean-sheet small EV from scratch.

Why Not Volkswagen?

Interestingly, Volkswagen’s smaller MEB Entry platform was long rumored to be Ford’s way back into the affordable supermini segment. But cost—and speed—won out. Renault’s Ampr platform is cheaper, production-ready, and already under two of Europe’s most eagerly awaited small EVs.

Ford still partners with VW on bigger EVs (Explorer, Capri) as well as commercial vehicles. The Renault deal will extend to vans too, though both companies stress this is still “exploratory.”

Farley and Provost: United by Necessity

Ford CEO Jim Farley calls the Renault agreement “an important step” toward making Ford’s European division leaner, more competitive, and future-proof. Renault Group’s François Provost describes the partnership as a showcase of “competitiveness in Europe.”

Both executives know what’s at stake. Europe’s EV adoption has slowed dramatically, Chinese imports are flooding the budget end of the market, and the EU is considering pushing its internal-combustion ban from 2035 to 2040.

Farley has been especially vocal. In a recent op-ed, he argued Europe’s decarbonization policies are “out of step with market reality,” pointing out the wide gap between mandated EV sales (25%) and the real number (16%). He also criticized the UK’s upcoming pay-per-mile EV tax as the regulatory equivalent of “one foot on the gas, one on the brake.”

His message was clear: without a regulatory “reset,” Europe risks losing its manufacturing base altogether.

Ford returning to the supermini class isn’t nostalgia—it’s survival strategy. The Renault-based Fiesta successor and its crossover sibling won’t just fill holes in Ford’s lineup; they could define Ford’s viability in Europe for the next decade.

Affordable EVs with real Ford personality? That’s the promise.
An industrial blueprint that finally stops the bleeding? That’s the hope.

And if Ford pulls off a proper electric Fiesta—one that drives like a Ford should—it might just rebuild the European loyalty the brand has spent the last five years eroding.

Source: Autocar

News

Citroën Eyes Return to the City-Car Wars With Sub-£15K Urban EV—If Europe Lets It

Citroën may be gearing up for a long-awaited return to the A-segment, and it’s betting on a brand-new “E-car” regulatory category to make it happen. If EU lawmakers approve the proposal—a framework designed to ease costs for ultra-affordable cars—the French brand could launch a spiritual successor to the C1, this time as a sub-£15,000 battery-powered urban runabout. Think 2CV philosophy, not 2CV cosplay.

A New Rulebook for Small Cars

Europe’s cheapest cars have been dying off for years, casualties of ever-tightening safety and emissions rules that push development costs far beyond what buyers of £15k hatchbacks can realistically absorb. The proposed E-car category aims to fix that by loosening certain requirements, reducing manufacturing costs, and finally giving carmakers a financial reason to re-enter a shrinking market segment.

Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon is fully on board. Speaking at the debut of the radical six-seat ELO concept, he confirmed that the new rules could unlock a path to a fresh A-segment EV—slotting below the current C3 and effectively filling the void left by the C1’s demise in 2020.

“We are legitimate as the Citroën brand to enter this segment,” Chardon said. “But for that, we need the European Union to give some space in terms of future regulations.”

Not a Reborn 2CV—But a Modern Answer to Its Mission

Enthusiasts have been buzzing about a potential 2CV revival, especially as competitors like Renault and Fiat successfully leaned on retro design nostalgia. But Chardon shut down the idea of a literal reboot.

“I wouldn’t call it the 2CV project,” he said. “The 2CV is an inspiring model… but not the shape or the design.”

Instead, Citroën wants to revive the spirit of its iconic people’s car—affordable mobility for the masses, engineered with ruthless simplicity. Chardon highlighted the original brief given to Citroën when it was owned by Michelin: build a car cheap enough for every household, tough enough to cross a field with four passengers and a basket of eggs. Today’s equivalent challenge? Deliver a fully electric city car under €15,000 without subsidies.

“That is not a walk in the park,” Chardon admitted.

Why Citroën Wants Back In

Citroën has deep A-segment roots: from the 2CV to the Saxo to the recently departed C1. But the brand’s smallest car today—the 4-meter-long C3—feels positively grown-up compared with the 3.4-meter C1 it replaced. And customers notice.

Chardon argues that Europe still needs genuinely small, genuinely cheap, genuinely usable urban cars—models that fit into tight cities yet remain highway-capable. Citroën’s benchmark remains crystal clear: five seats, practical doors, and real-world flexibility.

“The C1 was quite a successful car,” he said. “It was compact, but you could take it outside the city. We believe it is important to find that logic again at a price point below €15,000.”

Not Just Citroën

Stellantis sibling Peugeot is also exploring a new entry-level EV—effectively a spiritual successor to the Peugeot 108. Other manufacturers, including Dacia and BYD, have signaled interest too, but all are waiting to see how the EU defines the class.

The sticking point is regulation. To build a profitable EV at €15k, something has to give—specifically, the layers of mandatory tech normally baked into modern European cars. Chardon put it bluntly: “If every time the European Union is asking us for more regulations, this is not supporting us.”

What an E-Car Could Be

Don’t expect retro curves. Do expect a simple, purpose-built machine shaped by the same logic that guided the 2CV—transporting people affordably during a time of economic pressure. In the 1940s, that meant farmers, potatoes, and dirt roads. In the 2020s, it means skyrocketing urban costs, EV mandates, and consumers demanding value.

Translate those values into a modern EV, and you get the blueprint for Citroën’s future entry model:

  • ultra-compact dimensions
  • functional, flexible interior
  • minimalistic engineering
  • genuinely low purchase price
  • just enough performance to handle city life and occasional highway trips

In other words, a 21st-century people’s car, but without falling into the retro design trap.

Citroën won’t green-light a new A-segment EV unless the EU formally creates the E-car category. But if regulators sign off, the stage is set for a full-on revival of Europe’s most endangered species: the no-nonsense, low-cost city car.

Not a new 2CV—but something that might just have made old Monsieur Michelin proud.

Source: Autocar

News

Rimac Technology Is Quietly Re-Engineering the EV Future

Rimac may have made its name by building a 1900-hp hypercar that warps the definition of physics, but the company’s next revolution won’t come from another record-shattering coupe. Instead, it’s happening behind the scenes, inside a growing engineering powerhouse called Rimac Technology—the newly independent division tasked with supplying the EV world with next-generation batteries, ultra-dense powertrains, and electronics that major OEMs are already lining up to buy.

And according to COO Nurdin Pitarevic, the mission is nothing short of transforming Rimac from a disruptive startup into a global Tier 1 supplier capable of redefining what EVs can be.

Solid-State Batteries: The Breakthrough Rimac Wants to Own

While legacy automakers are still publishing whitepapers about solid-state batteries, Rimac Technology is already deep into development. Working with cell innovator ProLogium and composite specialists at Mitsubishi, the company plans to debut its first commercialized packs before the decade is out.

Pitarevic says testing is imminent, and his “wish” is clear: a mid-volume Bugatti model launching in 2030 will showcase the tech.

The prototype numbers are eye-opening:

  • 100 kWh capacity
  • 20–30% higher energy density than today’s NMC packs
  • ~30 kg lighter, thanks to composite housings
  • Significantly faster, safer charging, a key design priority

Cost parity with current lithium-ion packs is expected around 2035, though Rimac doesn’t plan to build high-volume packs for mainstream cars. Instead, they’ll license the tech to bigger OEMs—if the offer is right.

What’s driving the push? Rimac has zeroed in on three EV priorities consumers actually feel:
maximum range, maximum safety, minimum charging time.
Solid-state delivers on all three.

Hypercar Tech for Everyone Else

Rimac Technology isn’t just a battery shop. The company designs full electric drive units—motors, gearboxes, power electronics—sold to automakers ranging from BMW and Porsche to new EV players like CEER in Saudi Arabia.

These aren’t generic motors. They’re compact, modular, and ferociously powerful:

  • 200 to 470 horsepower per e-axle
  • Configurations for FWD, RWD, or AWD
  • Suitable for hybrids or full EVs

And they’re evolving rapidly. Pitarevic points to two recent examples:

The CEER SUV E-Axle

Comparable in output to the rear motor in the 1288-hp Rimac Nevera, this new unit weighs:

  • 132 kg, compared with
  • 198 kg for the Nevera’s drive unit

A massive leap in power density.

The “Suitcase Motor”

A 500-hp package weighing just 48 kg—small enough to fit into a performance coupe or even a spicy hot hatch.
It’s boutique engineering with mainstream potential.

The €300 Million Bet on the Future

Backing all this tech is Rimac’s upcoming 95,000-square-meter campus in Zagreb, part of a €300 million investment to pump out “tens of thousands” of components per month.
For a company born in a garage barely a decade ago, that’s a full-on transformation into a global supplier.

But Pitarevic argues Rimac’s real advantage isn’t size—it’s culture.

Inside Rimac: Innovation Without Bureaucracy

Before joining Rimac, Pitarevic managed 10,000 people across 22 factories in a major global manufacturing group. At 36, he left all that behind for a company a fraction of the size. Why?

He lists three reasons:

  1. No slow corporate decision-making.
    “No one sends emails to get decisions,” he says. “They communicate much faster.”
  2. Innovation isn’t encouraged—it’s expected.
    If you have a good idea, you’re empowered to build it.
  3. No legacy tech holding the company back.
    Rimac starts fresh with every system—no old tooling to undo.

Add in Croatia’s highly educated workforce and lower operating costs (20–30% below Western Europe), and Pitarevic believes Rimac can compete with firms 70 years older.

Where Rimac Goes From Here

Despite its engineering firepower, Rimac isn’t planning to become a volume automaker. With the slow-selling Nevera likely remaining its only self-badged car for the foreseeable future, Rimac Technology is focusing on its most valuable role:
the premium supplier building the secret ingredients inside the world’s most ambitious EVs.

“This is the market where innovation matters as much as performance,” Pitarevic says. “That’s where we succeed.”

Rimac may not build many cars in the future.
But the components inside the fastest, safest, and most advanced EVs of the next decade?
There’s a good chance they’ll have Rimac DNA.

Source: Rimac

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