Report: Ford's Flat Rock Assembly Tapped for Brace of Midsize EV Crossovers

While Ford has a “Mustang-inspired” electric crossover on the way for 2020 and a ICE-free F-150 coming down the pipe, the automaker’s future green product offensive remained murky — until now, apparently. The company’s Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant will give birth to two electric vehicles in three years’ time, a new report claims.

Both vehicles are — quelle surprise — crossovers, bearing both the Ford and Lincoln logos. To make it happen, however, a famous nameplate will almost certainly have to die.

According to three sources with knowledge of Ford’s product plans who spoke to Automotive News, the two vehicles will share a similar footprint. Appearing for the 2023 model year, the two vehicles will occupy the same space as the midsize, two-row Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus, with production beginning in Flat Rock in late 2022 or early 2023.

A common, dedicated electric vehicle platform will appear beneath both vehicles. Back in March, Ford said the plant, which currently builds the Ford Mustang and Lincoln Continental, will host vehicles built on the company’s next-generation EV architecture. That announcement came with a $900 million funding pledge.

While the automaker has yet to confirm the two products, one source claims Ford talked up production of 65,000 units per year in communications with suppliers. Before these green machines can roll out of Flat Rock, however, a slow-selling model will almost certainly have to vacate the premises. Another source claims the Continental will cease production in late 2021 — hardly a shock, as obituaries for the low-volume sedan have been pending since Ford announced the eventual cancellation of its Fusion platform mate.

Chinese production of the Continental will continue, the source added, leaving open the possibility of an import presence in the U.S.

Better hope for improved trade relations, Continental fans.

With these two vehicles now taking shape in the product pipeline, Ford’s list of future EVs grows to five: the Mexican-built, Mustang-inspired crossover (likely named the Mach E), the electric F-150, these two midsize crossovers, and an EV co-developed with EV startup Rivian. Ford’s growing alliance with Volkswagen will breed a crop of electrics based on VW’s MEB platform, but those future vehicles are earmarked for European customers.

[Image: Ford]