Ford, VW study commercial vehicle alliance that could grow

DETROIT (AP) - Ford and Volkswagen are exploring joint development of future commercial vehicles in a possible alliance that could lead to cooperation in other areas.

The companies announced the collaboration in a statement on Tuesday. They said that any alliance would not involve cross ownership stakes or including stock.

VW and Ford say an alliance would strengthen each company's competitiveness and better serve global customers. Ford would not give specifics about other areas for collaboration.

But Ford President of Global Markets Jim Farley says in the statement that Ford is trying to become more fit as a business while creating a winning global product portfolio.

Automakers often collaborate on big-ticket projects. For example, Ford has joined with General Motors to develop automatic transmissions.

The companies say they'll provide updates as talks progress.