Traditional automakers have faced increasing pressure in recent years from changed driving habits, the swift development of technology and emerging rivals from Silicon Valley.

So to avoid being left behind, some are teaming up.

Volkswagen and Ford, two of the world’s biggest carmakers, have announced that they are exploring a strategic alliance, possibly joining forces for an array of projects like the development of vans.

“Markets and customer demand are changing at an incredible speed,” Thomas Sedran, Volkswagen’s head of strategy, said in a statement released Tuesday evening. “To adapt to the challenging environment, it is of utmost importance to gain flexibility through alliances.”

The deal does not involve any financial commitment from either company, for now. But it raises the specter of some form of a tie-up as the two companies face a series of issues. In March, BMW and Daimler, two longtime rival German automakers, said they would merge their car-sharing businesses.