Ford has really been trimming the platform fat these last 12 years. The automaker had 30 different platforms in 2006. And now, they're working down to just five.

Currently sitting at nine platforms, Ford's head of product development and purchasing Hau Thai-Tang revealed that they're dropping down to only five. They are the following:
  • RWD/AWD body-on-frame
  • RWD/AWD unibody
  • FWD/AWD unibody
  • Commercial van unibody
  • Electric car unibody
We couldn't help but notice that there isn't a platform specifically for sports cars. We suspect this means that vehicles like next-generation Mustangs will be built on the RWD/AWD unibody platform. The first we'll see of this particular platform will be with the 2019 Lincoln Aviator.

Thai-Tang states that as much as 70 percent of a vehicle's value is managed through the right platform decisions. This is following the same efforts by Toyota and Volkswagen, who implemented the same strategy years ago.

This decision will help Ford reach their desired $25.5 billion budget reduction over the next five years. This will also reduce the development time of new vehicles. Ford claims that sharing platforms this way could result in a 20 percent reduction of development times. We can then hope to see more utility vehicles in the States as a result.