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Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co. will cooperate on electric and self-driving car technology, sharing costs on a global scale to take a major step forward in the industry’s disruptive transformation.

The soon-to-expand alliance between Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG has the potential to transform the global auto industry and increase pressure on other manufacturers developing electric and self-driving cars, analysts said.

Ford Motor Co. is going after a greater cut of a lucrative business: those willing to pay big bucks for pricey pickup accessories such as big, off-road tires and kits to jack up their trucks.

Ford Motor Co. will eliminate about 20% of its workforce across Europe in a sweeping overhaul to tackle the carmaker’s falling sales in the region and lift weak profitability.

Volkswagen AG’s supervisory board plans to discuss and possibly approve next steps toward expanding an alliance with Ford Motor Co. when it meets in two weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.

Workers at a major auto parts plant in Michigan are poised to return to work after a brief strike June 21, alleviating the threat of a supply disruption for carmakers Ford Motor Co., Tesla Inc. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

Ford Motor Co. may need to cut more than the recently announced 7,000 salaried workers to compensate for slowing auto sales, a situation that’s not readily apparent because its F-Series pickup helped “cover industry blemishes” with $10 billion in pretax earnings last year, Morgan Stanley said.

Ford Motor Co. plans to eliminate about 7,000 salaried jobs — about 10% of its global white-collar workforce — as pressures mount on automakers to keep pace with massive technological shifts amid signs global car demand has peaked.

DETROIT — While other automakers — notably crosstown rival General Motors and German giant Volkswagen — shift their focus to vehicles powered by electricity alone, Ford continues to develop and invest in hybrids, which combine gasoline engines with electric batteries.

Ford Motor Co. is the latest automaker opening its vehicles’ trunks to Amazon.com., entering a partnership to enable delivery of packages directly to millions of Ford and Lincoln models.