Drew Dowdell

In a vague press release today, automobile supplier Magna announced they have signed a contract with a North American based vehicle manufacturer to produce a high-power, electrified, rear-drive unit for a high-end vehicle at an unnamed brand, with production commencing "in the next couple of years". While details of the vehicle are cagey, there are some clues as to where the drive unit might end up. Based on Magna's eDS Duo, the unit will utilize 800v architecture and be capable of roughly 974 horsepower and a mind-blowing 5,900 lb-ft of torque. Comprised of 2 motors, 2 gearboxes, and 2 inverters, the drive unit is built to be placed at the rear axle, but unlike Magna's eBeam unit, is set up for an independent rear suspension. This tells us that the Magna contract is for a luxury, full-size product with rear-drive and a need for high and low range. From here, we can speculate: It's unlikely that General Motors needs such a unit as they already have the Hummer products in production, and the Escalade IQ has already been announced, so there would be no need for Manga to be circumspect about the announcement. Ditto Tesla, the CyberTruck is already in production and wouldn't need this announcement. The Stellantis STLA-Large platform is 800-volt capable, and Ram has recently been talking about adding hybrid options to the Ram 1500 series line-up over and above the RAM 1500 REV. However, we don't think a Ram 1500 would get an independent rear suspension. Could it be for an EV Grand Wagoneer? We think if Stellantis is the customer in this case, a Grand Wagoneer EV is the most likely recipient. We think Lincoln is the most likely recipient at this point. Ford's EV platform is not yet 800-volt capable. However, they are hard at work on the next generation of their EV platforms. With the rest of the industry coalescing around 800-volt architecture, we think it is unlikely that they won't go there also. Additionally, the crosstown rival Cadillac, with their new Escalade IQ, could be making Lincoln green with envy. Additionally, while building components in-house might make sense for a higher-volume model like the Ford F-150 Lightning, a lower-volume vehicle such as a Lincoln Navigator EV would make sense to outsource components to Magna for. Magna and Ford have a long-standing partnership, with Magna even setting up shop at some of Ford's facilities in Michigan. Magna already provides a significant amount of components to the F-150 Lightning. The timing sounds right for Lincoln. In May of 2021, Lincoln announced they would be working on a Navigator EV, but no date was set for release. It would also match with the product cadence at Ford for the 2026-2027 time frame. What do you think? Which U.S. manufacturer needs a low-volume, high-power, rear-drive EV unit for a luxury product?