The U.S. is doing many things to help Ukraine in its battle with Russia. And American manufacturers are doing their fair share as we can report that both Ford and Chevy are each donating 50 trucks for humanitarian efforts there. This comes on the heels of donating six-figure sums when the Ukrainian war first started. 

What vehicles did Ford and Chevy send to Ukraine?

With the help of the shipping company Maersk, 50 brand new Rangers from Ford and 50 brand new Tahoes from General Motors arrived there last week. According to a tweet from CEO Jim Farley, assembly of the Rangers took place at the Silverton, South Africa plant. 

Across town at GM, spokesperson George Svigos told the Detroit Freep that the company had been contacted by the Ukraine government. It specifically asked for large vehicles to help shuttle Ukrainians out of war-torn areas. “We had an international team start working on it,” Svigos said. “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.”

The Polish military site at Rzeszow, Poland, handled delivering the trucks. It is located close to Ukraine’s border. Assembly took place outside of the U.S.

Have other auto manufacturers donated to Ukrainian aid?

Besides its earlier $250,000 donation, GM is also matching employee donations to Ukraine. It has already matched $20,000 from Canadian workers, and $50,000 from American employees. And this was only four days after first making the offer. GM has also stopped all manufacturing operations and closed its commercial offices in Russia. 

Both Ford and Stellantis have also stopped all Russian manufacturing. And Stellantis has donated 1 million euros for humanitarian aid to Ukraine while Ford has donated $100,000 to the Global Giving Ukraine Relief Fund. 

Toyota has also lent a helping hand with over 2.5 million euros, specifically targeting its Ukrainian employees. It is also matching donations to the Toyota Humanitarian Aid Fund it started. And Toyota employees in neighboring Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania, have opened their homes to house Ukrainian refugees. 

Still, more manufacturers that donated products and money

Volkswagen Group recently donated 1.2 million euros through the UN Refugee Agency. And so far it has donated 22 Caraval and Crafter vans to district organizations of the German Red Cross. 

Nissan first shut down Russian operations when the war started. It also has donated 2.5 million euros for aid relief efforts in Ukraine. Mazda donated 1 million euros to the UN Refugee Agency. BMW will donate 35,000 euros to UNICEF for families and children in the region. 

These are a few of the auto manufacturers that have donated money, products, or helped organize fundraising for Ukraine. While there is much said about divisions in the world, it is great to see everyone pulling in the same direction to quash a terrible regime and save victims’ lives.