Ford to end car production at German plant

Ford has no programs to switch Concentrate output at its motor vehicle assembly plant in Saarlouis, Germany, in 2025. Rather, the U.S. business will look for “different options” for the manufacturing facility, which includes marketing it to a different automaker, Ford of Europe Chairman Stuart Rowley mentioned.

Rowley, however, stopped limited of stating the facility would near.

“We are looking for other substitute prospects for automobile creation at Saarlouis, together with other companies,” Rowley stated in a conference get in touch with with journalists on Wednesday. “We do not have in our scheduling cycle an supplemental design that goes into Saarlouis.”

Saarlouis lost to Ford’s plant in Valencia, Spain, in its bid to generate motor vehicles on the company’s upcoming-era electric vehicle architecture beginning later this ten years, Ford stated in a assertion.

Equally Valencia and Saarlouis will knowledge “important” position reductions as Ford pivots to an electric powered only upcoming, Rowley warned. “The actuality of the market is that the manufacturing of EVs will require much less individuals,” he claimed.

Ford presently employs 6,000 individuals in Valencia and 4,600 in Saarlouis. Ford’s web page in Cologne, Germany, is not affected by the headcount reduction. Rowley didn’t give any figures or a timeframe for the headcount reduction.

Ford gave no sign in what section the electric designs created by Valencia will contend.

The plant presently builds the Kuga compact SUV together with the Galaxy and S-Max huge minivans.

Creation of the Mondeo midsize family at the plant has arrive to an conclude.

Saarlouis, which rececived a 600 million euro investment decision in 2017 to get ready it to make the latest Concentrate, has long been underneath menace as Ford has pivoted to lessen cost production web sites in Europe. Those areas include things like as its facility in Craiova, Romania, wherever it builds the Puma tiny SUV, and in Kocaeli, Turkey, in which it builds its Europe-primary industrial auto variety.

Creation at Saarlouis has been hit by offer chain shortages and the fall in demand for compact hatchbacks in general.

Ford’s interest in Germany is centered on its Cologne facility, which will start off setting up a new SUV primarily based on Volkswagen’s MEB electric platform commencing in 2023.