Ford Motor Co. has no plans to switch Focus manufacturing at its car meeting plant in Saarlouis, Germany, in 2025. Instead, the U.S. firm will search “alternative opportunities” for the manufacturing facility, together with promoting it to a different automaker, Ford of Europe Chairman Stuart Rowley stated.
Rowley, nonetheless, stopped wanting saying the power would shut.
“We are seeking other alternative opportunities for vehicle production at Saarlouis, including other manufacturers,” Rowley stated in a convention name with journalists on Wednesday. “We do not have in our planning cycle an additional model that goes into Saarlouis.”
Saarlouis misplaced to Ford’s plant in Valencia, Spain, in its bid to provide autos on the corporate’s next-generation electrical car structure beginning later this decade, Ford stated in a press release.
Both Valencia and Saarlouis will expertise “significant” job reductions as Ford pivots to an electrical solely future, Rowley warned. “The reality of the industry is that the production of EVs will require fewer people,” he stated.
Ford at present employs 6,000 folks in Valencia and 4,600 in Saarlouis. Ford’s web site in Cologne, Germany, isn’t affected by the headcount discount. Rowley did not give any figures or a timeframe for the headcount discount.
Ford gave no indication in what phase the electrical fashions constructed by Valencia will compete.
The plant at present builds the Kuga compact crossover alongside the Galaxy and S-Max giant minivans.
Production of the Mondeo midsize household van on the plant has come to an finish.
Saarlouis, which rececived a 600 million euro ($630 million) funding in 2017 to organize it to make the present Focus, has lengthy been underneath menace as Ford has pivoted to decrease value manufacturing websites in Europe. Those places embrace as its facility in Craiova, Romania, the place it builds the Puma small SUV, and in Kocaeli, Turkey, the place it builds its Europe-leading industrial car vary.
Production at Saarlouis has been hit by provide chain shortages and the autumn in demand for compact hatchbacks on the whole.
Ford’s consideration in Germany is concentrated on its Cologne facility, which can begin constructing a brand new crossover primarily based on Volkswagen’s MEB electrical platform beginning in 2023.
Source: www.autonews.com
