Ford turns to China for electrified models in plan to double NZ market coverage

Ford will source vehicles from China for the first time as part of a plan to double its coverage of the New Zealand market to more than 60% within three years and have over 90% of its volume in all-new or significantly refreshed models by 2030.

The targets were set out at Ford Uncovered, a media and dealer event in Melbourne where the company confirmed the Transit City electric van and Bronco Basecamp range-extender SUV for New Zealand. Both are built by Ford’s Chinese joint venture partner JMC.

“In 2030, over 90% of our volume sold will be either all new or significantly refreshed, and we will double our coverage of the market to over 60% from about 30% where we are today,” Ford Australia and New Zealand president and chief executive Fadi Mawal says. “By leveraging our global footprint, including China for the first time, we are moving fast and staying affordable without asking customers to compromise on capability, lifestyle or quality.”

Ford New Zealand managing director Annaliese Atina says the same targets apply here, and that electrified vehicles will carry much of the growth.

“Today, we only play in around 30 per cent of the market. Our ambition is to double that to more than 60 per cent within three years,” Atina says. “We’ll do this by broadening our portfolio and bringing in more zero-tailpipe and low-emission vehicles, without asking customers to compromise on capability, lifestyle or quality.”

Ford New Zealand also says it will refresh two-thirds of its existing lineup within three years.

The Transit City will be priced at $58,990 plus on-road costs with deliveries from January 2027. It is a single-specification front-wheel drive van with a 56kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, 110kW motor, up to 254km WLTP combined range, 87kW DC charging and an eight-year, 160,000km high-voltage battery warranty. The Bronco Basecamp arrives in the second half of 2027 with pricing to follow. It pairs twin electric motors and a 49kWh usable battery with a 1.5-litre petrol engine that acts only as a generator, for a preliminary combined range estimate of 800 to 900km. Atina told EVs and Beyond the two are the first China-sourced Fords sold in any market outside China.

Mawal, who took the top job in January, says the lineup will use what he calls multi-energy technology across petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, range-extender and battery electric powertrains rather than committing to one.

“Our future direction is clear, greater choice for our customers, deeper loyalty with the Ford brand and more foot traffic into our dealerships,” he says. “Smarter, more affordable vehicles that leverage cutting edge multi-energy technology, a much more diverse lineup to sell beyond the wildly successful Ranger and Everest, all of which helps us to compete aggressively with both new and legacy automakers alike.”

He also signalled further product beyond what was shown.

“These new vehicles and many more that we can’t share with you yet, broaden our portfolio and open up parts of the market and we haven’t spoken to for some time,” he says.

Atina told EVs and Beyond the new models were selected on customer research rather than to earn Clean Vehicle Standard credits, and that Ford has made submissions to the select committee and met ministers seeking a stable long-term framework.

“We don’t need to bring them in to hit a target. We bring products in that consumers want. I think before we may have been guilty of bringing stuff in to hit a curve and then we’ve had to deal with that stuff,” she says. “We need a framework that is fair, that drives the ambition that we all collectively want, which is to electrify New Zealand, but is relative to the technology available.”

Atina says commercial vehicles remain difficult to electrify to the level of towing and load capability New Zealand buyers expect, and that Ford will keep a mix of powertrains as a result. She also told us Ford is open to the Fathom electric ute and the battery electric Bronco for this market.