Yes Explorer – Cologne didn’t have a lucky hand when it came to the name, because the name Explorer is already well known in Germany. This is the luxury SUV from the USA, which was also introduced in Europe years ago with some delay in order to be able to compete against the local premium competition from Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Volvo or Mercedes. The Ford Explorer is currently still available as a three-liter V6 plug-in hybrid, which costs at least 86,490 euros with its 336 kW / 457 hp. The new electric Explorer has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with this Explorer. Rather, this is the first model from the electrical cooperation between Ford and Volkswagen, is based on Volkswagen’s modular electrical kit and is being built in Cologne. Ford has commissioned a new production facility for this purpose, in which the new electric models will be produced from this autumn.
Visually, the new, almost 4.50 meter long Ford Explorer does not show that it is on the same platform that is also home to models such as the VW ID4, an Audi Q4 Etron or a Skoda Enyaq. The class is the same, the base price is similar, because the retail price of the Explorer, which will be available at the end of the year, should start at around 45,000 euros. Drive and battery technology comes from Volkswagen, as does the platform. The new E-Explorer will initially be available in a power range from 125 kW / 170 PS to 221 kW / 300 PS as an all-wheel drive vehicle or with rear-wheel drive. The charging speeds of 135 to 170 kilowatts should allow the battery pack in the underbody to be boosted to 80 percent in less than half an hour.
The interior is deliberately sober and is based on the current Ford Mustang Mach-E, which is still imported from the USA to Europe. Massage seats and various connectivity services ensure comfort in the smaller Explorer. The so-called mega console is hidden behind the 14.6-inch central screen, where, among other things, a notebook or water bottles can be accommodated out of sight. The touchscreen can also be tilted by 30 degrees. Behind the steering wheel there is a small 5.3-inch instrument display. In addition to space for up to five occupants, the Explorer offers a capacity of 450 liters behind its electric loading flap, which can be expanded to over 1,400 liters by folding the rear seats. “The Explorer paves the way for a new generation of impressive electric vehicles from Ford,” says Martin Sander, General Manager Ford Model E in Europe, “we build it in Cologne for our customers in Europe. He unmistakably embodies our American roots and our ‘adventurous spirit’.”
It won’t stay with the Explorer. By the end of 2024, Ford intends to launch three new all-electric passenger car models and four new all-electric commercial vehicle models in Europe alone. Two of these three new car models – the five-seater crossover and a sports crossover based on the VW MQB – will roll off the production lines at the Cologne Electrification Center, which is currently being built at the Cologne-Niehl site, from the end of 2023 and 2024 respectively. From 2026, Ford wants to offer at least one plug-in hybrid or one fully electric model in every car series. By 2026, Ford intends to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles per year in Europe and to switch the model portfolio completely to electric models from 2030.
In addition to the purely electric models, the US models will play a key role in the transition period up to the end of the decade in order to further sharpen the design and American brand image. The Ford Mustang has been in Europe for years and is to be followed next year by the charismatic Bronco off-road vehicle, which will initially only be sold in manageable volumes by official Ford dealers. Many Ford fans also want the F-150, which has been the best-selling car in the world for decades and is the absolute pick-up bestseller, which has also been available as an electric version, the F-150 Lightning, for several months. Many would like that, just like the rustic Wrangler competitor Bronco in Europe, which currently starts at 74,500 euros.
