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Ford Confirms New SUV Based on Geely’s Electric Vehicle Platform

Ford is preparing a new compact SUV that could mark one of the most unexpected collaborations in the European automotive industry. The upcoming model will use Geely’s Global Intelligent Electric Architecture (GEA), combining Ford’s design and brand identity with technology developed by one of China’s largest automotive groups.

The new details shed further light on a strategic partnership between Ford and Geely that is set to reshape production at Ford’s Valencia factory in Spain. The agreement, finalized in July, will see Geely begin manufacturing vehicles at the Ford-owned facility, which has operated significantly below its potential capacity for several years.

The partnership is expected to bring new investment and production activity to the Spanish plant while giving both manufacturers access to technologies and manufacturing capabilities that would be more difficult to develop independently.

Ford’s New SUV Will Be Based on Geely’s GEA Platform

The biggest revelation is that Ford will use Geely’s Global Intelligent Electric Architecture for a new compact crossover.

Geely Auto Group chairman An Conghui confirmed the plan during an earnings call, according to Automotive News. The GEA platform already underpins several Geely vehicles, including the electric EX5 and plug-in hybrid Starray.

For Ford, adopting the architecture provides access to a modern platform designed to accommodate multiple powertrain configurations. That could allow the new SUV to be offered with both electrified hybrid technology and a fully electric powertrain.

Ford has described the vehicle as a “multi-energy” compact crossover, suggesting that the company is deliberately avoiding an all-electric-only strategy.

That approach could prove particularly important in Europe, where demand for electric vehicles continues to develop unevenly and manufacturers are increasingly looking at flexible platforms capable of supporting several types of powertrains.

Rally-Inspired Styling Could Set the Ford Apart

Although the new Ford SUV will share its underlying architecture with Geely models, Ford appears determined to give it a distinct identity.

The company has indicated that the crossover will feature “rally-bred” styling. That description suggests a more aggressive and performance-oriented design than the typical compact electric SUV.

Ford has a long history of leveraging rally-inspired design and engineering for its road cars, particularly through models such as the Ford Puma and various performance-oriented derivatives. The new vehicle could therefore bring some of that visual character into Ford’s next generation of electrified compact SUVs.

Importantly, sharing Geely’s platform does not mean the Ford will simply be a rebadged Geely.

Instead, the partnership appears to follow a growing industry trend in which manufacturers share expensive underlying technologies while developing distinctive exterior designs, interiors, software and driving characteristics for their respective brands.

Geely Will Build Vehicles at Ford’s Valencia Factory

The partnership is particularly significant because Geely will manufacture vehicles at Ford’s Valencia plant.

Ford’s Spanish factory has been operating well below its annual production capacity for several years. Bringing Geely products to the facility could therefore provide a major boost to utilization and help secure the plant’s long-term future.

The all-electric Geely EX2 is expected to be among the first Geely models produced at Valencia, although it will not be the only vehicle manufactured there.

Geely has previously confirmed plans to build two new-energy models at the Spanish facility, with the first expected to enter production in 2028.

The company has also stated that the joint venture is expected to produce three Ford-branded multi-energy vehicles, although it has not yet revealed the complete lineup.

That leaves open the possibility that Ford and Geely are planning a broader product strategy than the single compact crossover currently known.

Ford Bronco SUV Will Join the Valencia Lineup

The new Geely-based Ford SUV will reportedly be built alongside another important Ford model: a Bronco-branded SUV.

The Bronco model is expected to arrive around 2028, although it will use a different platform from the Geely-based crossover.

That distinction is important because it suggests Ford is pursuing two separate SUV strategies at Valencia. One will rely on Geely technology and focus on a compact, multi-energy crossover, while the other will use a separate architecture and carry the increasingly valuable Bronco name.

Ford has been expanding the Bronco family as it seeks to capitalize on growing demand for rugged SUVs with strong brand identities.

Adding another Bronco-branded vehicle could give Ford an opportunity to compete in another segment while preserving the distinctive positioning of the Bronco name.

Why Ford and Geely Are Working Together

The Ford-Geely partnership reflects a broader transformation taking place across the global automotive industry.

Developing new electric platforms, batteries, software architectures and manufacturing systems requires enormous investment. At the same time, automakers are under pressure to reduce costs and bring new vehicles to market faster.

Strategic partnerships can help manufacturers spread those costs while accessing technology that might otherwise take years to develop.

For Geely, the agreement represents an opportunity to expand its manufacturing footprint in Europe and strengthen its presence in the European market.

For Ford, the partnership provides access to Geely’s modern GEA architecture while allowing the company to use an existing European production facility more efficiently.

Geely Auto Group vice president Alex Nan described the cooperation as an important step toward greater collaboration between the two companies and said it would further strengthen Geely’s European presence.

What We Know About Ford’s New Geely-Based SUV

At this stage, Ford has not revealed the vehicle’s name, final design, pricing or complete technical specifications.

However, several key details are now emerging.

The new Ford SUV is expected to be:

  • A compact crossover
  • Based on Geely’s Global Intelligent Electric Architecture
  • Available with multi-energy powertrains
  • Expected to include hybrid and fully electric versions
  • Designed with rally-inspired styling
  • Built at Ford’s Valencia factory in Spain
  • Expected to enter production as part of the companies’ broader 2028 strategy

The use of Geely’s GEA platform could also give Ford considerable flexibility when determining battery sizes, electric powertrains and hybrid configurations.

More technical information should emerge as development progresses.

A Potentially Important New Chapter for Ford in Europe

Ford and Geely’s Spanish partnership is more than a simple manufacturing agreement. It represents a significant change in how two major automotive groups are approaching the European market.

Ford gains access to Geely’s electric vehicle technology and a flexible vehicle architecture, while Geely gains additional European manufacturing capacity and a deeper industrial presence on the continent.

The biggest question now is how Ford will translate Geely’s technology into a vehicle that feels unmistakably like a Ford.

If the company succeeds, the new crossover could become one of the most interesting examples of cross-border automotive cooperation in the next generation of European vehicles.

With production expected to begin around 2028, Ford’s Geely-based SUV is still several years away. But the combination of Ford’s rally-inspired design language, Geely’s GEA platform and production in Spain could make this one of the more closely watched new Ford models as the European automotive market enters a rapidly changing era.

Source: Auto News

News

Ford’s Electric Super Mustang Rules Goodwood, Leaving Formula E in Its Wake

If there was any lingering doubt that electric performance has reached another level, the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed provided a rather emphatic answer. While thousands of spectators lined the famous Sussex hill expecting a battle between some of the world’s fastest machines, it was Ford’s outrageous Super Mustang Mach-E that once again stole the show—and made it look almost routine.

Fresh off its commanding victory at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb just three weeks earlier, French racing ace Romain Dumas arrived at Goodwood with plenty of momentum. Behind the wheel of Ford’s purpose-built electric hillclimb weapon, Dumas blasted up the iconic 1.16-mile course in an astonishing 41.98 seconds, securing the fastest time of the weekend and extending his remarkable Goodwood legacy. The victory marked Dumas’ third consecutive Festival of Speed triumph and his fifth overall, further cementing his status as one of the event’s modern masters.

Originally engineered for the unforgiving climb to the summit of Pikes Peak, where Dumas recently stopped the clocks at 8:18.202, the Super Mustang Mach-E has proven that its dominance isn’t limited to Colorado’s thin mountain air. At Goodwood, it demonstrated blistering acceleration, relentless grip, and the instant torque that has become the defining advantage of high-performance electric race cars.

Perhaps the most telling statistic wasn’t simply that the Ford won—it was what it beat.

The Super Mustang Mach-E finished comfortably ahead of the cutting-edge Gen4 Formula E machine piloted by Daniel Ticktum, with the all-electric single-seater recording a still-impressive 42.46-second run. Formula E represents the pinnacle of electric open-wheel racing technology, making Ford’s margin of victory all the more remarkable.

Behind the two EVs, the internal combustion contingent fought an entertaining battle for the remaining podium positions. Alex Summers muscled the thunderous 1974 Shadow-Chevrolet DN4 Can-Am prototype into third with a 46.31-second climb, edging reigning rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson in the ferocious Volkswagen Polo RallyCross machine by a razor-thin 0.01 second.

One of the weekend’s loudest crowd favorites came courtesy of action sports legend Travis Pastrana, whose wildly modified Subaru Brataroo 9500 Turbo combined outrageous styling with equally outrageous speed, posting a 46.77-second run while entertaining fans every inch of the hill.

Beyond the stopwatch, Goodwood remained true to its reputation as one of the world’s greatest celebrations of automotive culture. BMW used the event to showcase its striking Concept Neue Klasse M, offering enthusiasts an early glimpse at what is expected to become the brand’s next-generation all-electric M3. To remind everyone where the legendary performance sedan’s story began, BMW also displayed two icons from the M3 lineage: the homologation-special E30 M3 from 1986 and the hardcore E92 M3 GTS from 2011, marking four decades of one of performance motoring’s most celebrated nameplates.

While nostalgia and heritage were on full display throughout the Festival of Speed, the fastest run of the weekend pointed unmistakably toward the future. Ford’s Super Mustang Mach-E didn’t just win Goodwood—it outpaced the latest Formula E technology and reinforced a reality that becomes harder to ignore with every major hillclimb.

When it comes to outright speed, electricity is no longer the challenger. Increasingly, it’s the benchmark.

Source: Ford

News

A 1941 Ford Woody Discovered 17,000 Feet Beneath the Pacific

Most barn finds involve dusty sheds, forgotten garages, or the occasional field hidden behind decades of overgrown weeds. This one required a remotely operated vehicle, high-definition cameras, and a journey nearly three miles beneath the Pacific Ocean.

In what may be the most extraordinary automotive discovery in modern history, explorers surveying the wreck of the USS Yorktown—an American aircraft carrier sunk during World War II—stumbled across something nobody expected to see at the bottom of the sea: a 1941 Ford Super Deluxe Woody.

The discovery occurred during an expedition by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Exploration program. On April 19 last year, operators aboard the research vessel Okeanos Explorer were guiding the remotely operated vehicle Deep Discoverer around the remains of the legendary carrier when two bright circular shapes appeared in the darkness.

At first glance, they looked like little more than reflections. But as the cameras moved closer, the outlines became unmistakable. Whitewall tires. Chrome trim. A windshield. There, resting silently beside the carrier’s port hangar deck at a depth of roughly 17,000 feet, sat a Ford Woody that had spent the last 83 years in one of the most inaccessible parking spaces on Earth.

Remarkably, the car remains instantly recognizable despite eight decades underwater. The signature split windshield is still mounted where Ford installed it in 1941. The chrome bumpers remain attached. Even the wooden framing that gave the Woody its name can still be identified, although years of exposure to saltwater have left much of the timber severely deteriorated.

For automotive enthusiasts, the sight is surreal. The Ford Super Deluxe Woody occupies a special place in American car culture, representing an era when station wagons were still handcrafted hybrids of steel and wood. Introduced during a period when automobiles reflected both craftsmanship and utility, the Woody became an icon long before it gained celebrity status among California surfers and collectors decades later.

Yet this particular Ford tells a story far larger than the car itself.

By early 1942, Ford had halted civilian vehicle production as America’s industrial might shifted toward supporting the war effort. The prevailing theory is that this Woody belonged to the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and was brought aboard the USS Yorktown while the carrier underwent emergency repairs following the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Supporting that theory is a hand-crafted plaque mounted on the front of the vehicle bearing the words “SHIP SERVICE NAVY.” Rather than serving as someone’s personal transportation, the Ford appears to have been an official utility vehicle used by the shipyard.

History suggests the car simply never made it back ashore.

The Yorktown arrived at Pearl Harbor heavily damaged in May 1942. Working around the clock, repair crews performed what many historians still consider a remarkable feat of wartime engineering, returning the carrier to operational status in just three days. The ship departed before many temporary materials and equipment could be unloaded. It’s entirely possible that amid the frantic preparations, the Ford was forgotten.

Only weeks later, Yorktown fought at the pivotal Battle of Midway, helping alter the course of the Pacific War. On June 7, 1942, after sustaining battle damage and being struck by torpedoes fired from the Japanese submarine I-168, the carrier finally slipped beneath the waves.

The Ford went with it.

Unlike traditional automotive time capsules, this Woody wasn’t preserved in climate-controlled perfection. It endured crushing pressure, corrosive seawater, and complete darkness for more than eight decades. Yet enough survives to tell its story. The silhouette remains unmistakable. The proportions are familiar. Even after 83 years on the ocean floor, it’s still unmistakably a Ford.

Collectors often talk about cars having history. This one carries history in a way few vehicles ever could. It isn’t merely a survivor from the early 1940s; it’s a witness to one of the most consequential naval campaigns ever fought.

And while most barn finds end with a restoration shop, an auction block, or a concours lawn, this Woody’s future is likely far simpler. It will remain exactly where it has rested since 1942—17,000 feet beneath the Pacific, parked forever beside one of America’s most storied warships.

As automotive discoveries go, it’s difficult to imagine a more remarkable find. The deepest barn find in history isn’t hidden in a barn at all. It’s sitting at the bottom of the ocean.

Source: Reuters