Ford has confirmed plans to show a compact electric crossover in early 2023, and the automaker has started a teaser campaign ahead of the reveal.

Ford last week revealed a shadowy image of the crossover, and its head of passenger vehicles in Europe, Martin Sander, also posted last week a teaser shot showing part of the design to his Twitter account. Sander's shot was taken during a recent sneak peek event at Ford's Europe Design Center in Cologne, Germany.

The crossover is the model Ford is developing on Volkswagen Group's MEB modular platform designed for mainstream electric vehicles, made possible by a deal hammered out between the two automakers in 2019.

The MEB platform is the basis for several vehicles, including the Volkswagen ID.4 compact crossover, with which the Ford will likely be closely aligned. Both the teasers and early spy shots of a clay model in transport point to the Ford featuring a boxier design than the VW.

Ford electric crossover based on VW Group's MEB platform - Photo credit: Martin Sander

Ford electric crossover based on VW Group's MEB platform - Photo credit: Martin Sander

Like the ID.4, expect the Ford to offer the choice of rear- or all-wheel drive. It isn't clear how big the battery will be, but the ID.4 comes with 62- and 82-kwh battery options, and the MEB platform supports a number of additional battery sizes.

Don't look for the crossover to be sold in the U.S. Ford has only announced plans to sell it in Europe, where it will be built. Production will be handled at Ford's plant in Cologne. The site is where Ford's European headquarters is also located, and where Ford is investing $1 billion for EV and battery production.

Ford will eventually launch a second crossover in Europe based on the MEB platform. It's been described as a sport crossover, and will likely end up as a more coupe-like version of the first crossover, similar to how VW offers the ID.4 and ID.5 siblings.

Update: This article has been updated with an additional teaser photo of the vehicle.