Mass production of the all-electric Explorer SUV is now officially underway at Ford’s new Cologne EV centre, springboarding the brand’s plans for a new era of EVs.

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Delivering bold American styling and around 373 miles of range, the electric Ford Explorer is the first vehicle to roll off the line at the site – marking a significant step on the road to producing a new generation of high-quality electric passenger vehicles for the region.

A second EV, a new sports crossover, will be revealed shortly with production in Cologne starting later this year. An electric Puma is also planned for Europe.

Previously home to models such as the erstwhile Fiesta, Ford’s historic plant in Cologne was transformed as part of a $2bn (£1.6bn) investment to gear up the carmaker for its commitment to electric vehicles in Europe. Ford has said its passenger vehicle range will go all-electric in Europe by 2030 – a century after the Cologne plant was founded.

Kieran Cahill, vice president, manufacturing at Ford in Europe, said: “To see the Cologne factory founded by Ford in 1930 being transformed into a state-of-the-art electric vehicle production facility is nothing short of amazing. The start of mass production of electric vehicles, with the new all-electric Explorer, marks the beginning of a new era for Ford in Europe.”

Ford’s new EV Centre is a key element of the brand’s Road to Better plan targeting carbon neutrality across its European production footprint of facilities, logistics and direct suppliers by 2035.

The site is fitted with AI and a “symphony of hundreds of carefully choreographed state-of-the-art robots” that will deliver a new generation of high-quality EVs to Ford customers in Europe.

“By monitoring and controlling every step of the manufacturing process, Ford will achieve unprecedented levels of quality for our customers,” said Rene Wolf, managing director, manufacturing, Ford-Werke GmbH.

Sales for the new Explorer opened earlier this spring, joining the existing Mustang Mach-E SUV.

Priced from £39,875, it’s built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform also used for the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4, under a global cooperation between the two firms.

The launch line-up includes a choice of two powertrains – single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) or dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) – in extended range versions. A single-motor RWD powertrain with a standard-range battery will arrive at a later date.