As the war in Ukraine continues, Ford and Chevrolet haven’t stopped in their own efforts to ease the crisis. After making six-figure donations earlier this year, each automaker has now sent 50 vehicles to the country through shipping partner Maersk.
Ford Motor Company’s CEO, Jim Farley announced on Twitter that 50 brand new Rangers had landed on Ukrainian soil last week. Every one of the units came from the Silverton plant in South Africa.
That news comes from Ford spokesperson Mike Levine but what hasn’t been specified is exactly how the trucks will be used. Despite that, we do have a clue thanks to a similar donation made by General Motors.
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As part of our efforts to support the Ukrainian people, we donated 50 @Ford Rangers. Proud of the hard work of our Ford team & partners at @Maersk for making this happen. I can confirm the last of the trucks arrived this week & are being put to work! #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/9alzmmomX8
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) April 28, 2022
George Svigos, a spokesman for GM, told the Detroit Free Press that the Ukrainian government contacted the automaker about a month ago and requested large vehicles that could be used to shuttle people out of war zones.
“We had an international team start working on it,” Svigos said. The result of that request was a shipment of 50 Chevrolet Tahoes being sent to Ukraine. “The vehicles will be used to assist with humanitarian aid in the region… The decision to donate vehicles was made following a request from the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington,” he continued.
Those SUVs were moved into Ukraine through the Polish military logistics hub at Rzeszow, Poland, which is near the border with Ukraine. We imagine that the Ford Rangers will be used in a similar manner despite offering less interior space. Just like in the case of those Rangers, the Tahoes sent were not from the US market pool of vehicles.
In addition to the vehicles themselves and the aforementioned six-figure donations, GM has supported matching employee donations towards the cause as well.
Not only did GM match up to $20,000 worth of donations made by its Canadian employees but it also matched up to $50,000 donated by American workers. According to Svigos, that dollar figure was achieved in just four days.
