Ford is expected to unveil its new electric crossover in March 2023, according to a new report from Germany's Automobilwoche.

We first got a glimpse of the newcomer late last year when Ford model e Europe's Martin Sander shared a teaser image of the vehicle via Twitter. The upcoming EV is a result of the automaker's alliance with Volkswagen, which has so far birthed the new Amarok (based on the Ranger pickup), to name but one.

Underpinned by the VW Group's Modular Electric Drive matrix (MEB) platform, the new Ford EV will likely be closely related to the Volkswagen ID.4, a similarly sized electric crossover. As such, we can expect the Blue Oval's version to utilize the same electric setups as its German cousin.

As we know, the crossover is expected to enter production at Ford's Cologne plant in Germany, where the now-dead Fiesta once hailed from. Sander told Automobilwoche that this facility will focus on building "powered by Volkswagen" Ford electric models, the company's Valencia plant will not make use of the MEB platform.

"We will use a purely electric platform in Valencia. However, it is currently still unclear when this will happen and which models we will build there," he added. By 2028, Ford expects to manufacture approximately 1.2 million electric cars based on VW's MEB architecture. This ties into the American brand's goal of selling 600,000 BEVs per annum in Europe by 2026.

And while Sander admits that working with VW saved Ford a lot of development time (at least two years), it appears as if the automaker wants to wind down its dependency on Volkswagen and build its electric vehicles from the ground up.

Ford certainly won't rely on Volkswagen's help when it comes to software-defined vehicles, either. "We probably don't need any external help in the software area ... [and] are very confident that we will achieve our goals," added Sander. This statement comes just months after Ford and Volkswagen-backed Argo AI shut its doors due to a lack of investment, among other things.

But for Sander, planning for Ford Europe's electric future goes beyond developing new EVs.

As mentioned, a reshuffling has seen the company cull offerings like the Fiesta and Focus to prioritize future products. It's unwise to occupy every segment and Ford knows this. As such, plants like Saarlouis will be forsaken. "The capacities of our plants in Cologne, Valencia, and Craiova for car production cover our needs for Europe," remarked Sander.

So far, the automaker has had great success with the Mustang Mach-E but needs to rapidly expand its electric lineup if it has a chance at besting the likes of Tesla and VW. Vehicles like the mystery crossover and the funky E-Tourneo are part of a strategy for electrified success.

It's yet to be determined whether the new MEB-based Ford will reach the US but if not, we have a lot to look forward to -an electric Explorer, Bronco, and several more vehicles expected to arrive in the coming years.