Ford Fiesta to return as Renault 5-based EV?

Partnerships between car brands seem to be happening a bit more often these days. In Asia, talks between Mitsubishi, Honda, and Nissan are underway to jointly address the current challenges of the US market.

Over in Europe, however, the partnership is in a more advanced phase for two storied brands. Ford and Renault have agreed to collaborate on the development of two new Ford electric vehicles, which will utilize Renault’s Ampere platform built for small EVs.

Both companies are yet to name the new products under this collaboration. But since the Ampere platform underpins the Renault 5 EV, the first vehicle could spell the return of the Ford Fiesta – this time as a small hatchback EV.

Based on the agreement, it looks like it will be more than just a typical badge engineering, as Ford will be responsible for all the design aspects, along with distinct driving dynamics and the signature Ford interface. As for the model production, the new Ford small EV will be built alongside the Renault 5 at Renault’s ElectriCity complex in Douai, France.

Because Renault has already developed the electric platform, the Blue Oval says the first of the two new Ford EVs under this partnership can be expected to come out as early as 2028. The other Ford small EV could be a compact crossover that might potentially replace the Puma Gen-E somewhere down the line.

That said, the small EV partnership may only be the start of a productive collaboration between Ford and Renault, as both have also agreed to explore the joint development of light commercial vehicles for the European market.

"The strategic partnership with Renault Group marks an important step for Ford and supports our strategy to build a highly efficient and fit-for-the-future business in Europe. We will combine Renault Group’s industrial scale and EV assets with Ford’s iconic design and driving dynamics to create vehicles that are fun, capable, and distinctly Ford in spirit," said Jim Farley, president and CEO of the Ford Motor Company.