Ford to resume manufacturing in India for export markets

  • Industry News
  • Sep 16,24
With engine manufacturing operations in Sanand, India remains Ford's second-largest salaried workforce globally.
Ford to resume manufacturing in India for export markets

Ford has announced plans to restart manufacturing operations at its Chennai plant in Tamil Nadu, focusing on producing vehicles for export markets. The company had ceased vehicle production for sale in India in September 2021, but this new initiative will leverage the Chennai facility for international exports.

While Ford has not confirmed any plans to resume sales operations in India, the decision comes as the country has become the third-largest car market globally. Currently, Ford's sales outlets in India have closed, leaving only service and spare parts centres operational.

Ford began its Indian operations in 1995, with manufacturing facilities in Chennai and Sanand, Gujarat. The Chennai plant, which had an annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles, was known for producing SUVs like the EcoSport and Endeavour. The Sanand plant, with a capacity of 240,000 vehicles and 270,000 engines annually, produced models including the Aspire sedan, and the Figo and Freestyle hatchbacks. Ford sold the Sanand vehicle manufacturing unit to Tata Motors in January 2023 for Rs 7.25 billion, though it continues to produce engines there and run service operations in India.

Ford has submitted a letter of intent to the Tamil Nadu government to confirm its plans for the Chennai plant. This move is part of Ford's Ford+ growth plan and follows a meeting between Ford leadership and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin during his visit to the U.S.

Kay Hart, President, Ford International Markets Group, expressed gratitude for the Tamil Nadu government's support and emphasised the company's commitment to leveraging local manufacturing expertise to serve new global markets. 

Ford currently employs around 12,000 individuals in Tamil Nadu and expects to increase this number by 2,500-3,000 over the next three years. With engine manufacturing operations in Sanand, India remains Ford's second-largest salaried workforce globally. Further details on the types of vehicles to be manufactured and other specifics will be disclosed in due course.

(India Today)

Related Stories

Policy Regulation
GTRI urges simplified customs duty structure to boost manufacturing and exports

GTRI urges simplified customs duty structure to boost manufacturing and exports

According to GTRI, currently, 85% of tariff revenue is generated from just 10% of tariff lines or product categories, while 60% of tariff lines account for less than 3% of total revenue.

Read more
Auto & Auto Components
Minda Corporation and Flash Electronics to create fastest growing EV platform

Minda Corporation and Flash Electronics to create fastest growing EV platform

Flash Electronics is expected to achieve revenue over Rs 15 billion in FY 25 and have been impressively delivering a CAGR of over 17% during past years.

Read more
Auto & Auto Components
JLR and Tata Communications to deliver smarter cars via platform

JLR and Tata Communications to deliver smarter cars via platform

The use of Tata Communications MOVE™ platform will increase the data exchange and enable JLR engineers to harness deeper insights, monitor vehicle performance in real-time, and enable more prompt..

Read more

Related Products

Tata Motors unveils facilities for development of Hydrogen propulsion tech

AUTO COMPONENTS & ACCESSORIES

Tata Motors, India?s largest automobile company, unveiled two state-of-the-art & new-age R&D facilities for meeting its mission of offering sustainable mobility solutions. The unveilings constitute of Read more

Request a Quote

Tata Motors plans petrol powertrain for Harrier and Safari SUVs

AUTO COMPONENTS & ACCESSORIES

Tata Motors is in the process of developing a new petrol powertrain for its premium sports utility vehicles, the Harrier and Safari, as confirmed by a senior company official. Currently, these models Read more

Request a Quote

Electric Vehicle Charger

AUTO COMPONENTS & ACCESSORIES

RRT Electro is engaged in manufacturing of customized Power Electronic Products over two decades having capability to Design, Develop, Prototyping, Regulatory Compliance testing & Certification, Manuf Read more

Request a Quote

Hi There!

Now get regular updates from IPF Magazine on WhatsApp!

Click on link below, message us with a simple hi, and SAVE our number

You will have subscribed to our Industrial News on Whatsapp! Enjoy

+91 84228 74016