Ford Otosan announces an investment of 490 million Euro at the Craiova plant

The agreement by which Ford Otosan, the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in Europe, takes over the ownership of the Ford factory in Craiova has been successfully completed. Through this agreement, Ford transferred ownership of its Craiova plant, which produces vehicles and engines, to Ford Otosan, thus allowing the company to expand its operations internationally.

This year, on March 14, Ford announced that the Craiova plant will produce the new generation of the Courier model, both in the Transit version (freight transport) and in the Tourneo version (passenger transport), which will go into production in 2023, with a fully electric version from 2024. Also, Ford Puma, the best-selling Ford car in Europe, will benefit in 2024 from a fully electric version, which will be produced at the factory in Romania.

To support the launch of the next generation of the Courier model, Ford Otosan today announced an investment of 490 million euros at the Craiova plant, which will be implemented over the next three years. Thus, the total production capacity of the Craiova plant will increase from 250,000 vehicles / year to 272,000 vehicles / year.

The Ford Otosan plant in Craiova plays a key role in Ford’s electrification plans in Europe, and through this takeover, the Romanian production unit will benefit from Ford Otosan’s extensive experience and expertise in electrification, commercial vehicle design, engineering, and production. Ford Otosan’s expertise and know-how in electrification, as seen in the emblematic recently launched E-Transit model, will also be found in the electric vehicles that the company will produce in the Craiova factory.

Ford also announced today that, in the context of the transfer of ownership from Craiova, a new company was created – Ford Romania Services SRL – which integrates the sales and marketing activities of Ford in Romania (National Sales Company), led by Roxana Capata and Ford Business Solutions Center (FBS), led by Dieter Rogmann. Also, some additional European functions, such as the Purchasing and Accounting Services, which operate from Craiova, will operate within Ford Romania Services.