There have been plenty of partnerships forming between motoring giants with the onset of electrification – however, surely there is no collaboration more notable than that between the super powers of Ford andToyota.
The two will be equal partners on the development of an advanced hybrid system for light trucks and SUVs after signing a memorandum of understanding on the product development collaboration. They will work together on enablers to complement each company’s existing telematics platform standards while bringing more internet-based services and useful information to customers.
Each company has been working on their own future generation rear-wheel hybrid systems and now they believe their collaboration will allow them to bring these technologies to the market in a faster and more affordable manner.
It is expected that the rear-wheel drive hybrid system will be based on an all-new architecture and will share significant common technology and components. Both Ford and Toyota will integrate the system into their own vehicles with each company to determine the calibration and performance dynamics characteristics of their respective light pick-ups and SUVs.
Commenting on the partnership, Toyota President Akio Toyoda stated that the Japanese carmaker is “extremely proud” to join Ford in developing a hybrid system for pick-up trucks and SUVs and believes it will be an important building block for the future of mobility in the US.
