Ford To Close Its German Plant In 2025, Ford Of Europe ...

Ford has had a long history in Germany, starting work on its Cologne plant in 1929 in response to GM's purchase of a controlling interest in ... BETAThisisaBETAexperience.Youmayopt-outby clickinghereMoreFromForbesAug3,2022,06:18pmEDTFiskerSaysIt’sGotMoreThan$300MillionWorthOfPreordersForItsElectricSUVAug3,2022,03:58pmEDTHowToBuyBetterTimeAug3,2022,02:11pmEDTTransformingFreightBenchmarkingAug3,2022,08:30amEDTGMExpandsSuperCruiseHands-FreeDrivingToMoreThan400,000MilesOfRoadsAug3,2022,08:00amEDTAIEthicsFightingPassionatelyForYourLegalRightToBeAnExceptionAug2,2022,09:00amEDTSky-HighGasPricesMakeUsAllWantEVs,Right?NotSo,SurveySaysAug2,2022,07:45amEDTInnovizScoresAMajorLiDARWinWithADominantAutomotiveOEM-AsATier1SupplierAug2,2022,07:00amEDTVW'sCARIADConfirmedAsCustomerForInnovizTwoLidarFrom2025EditStoryTransportationFordToCloseItsGermanPlantIn2025,FordOfEuropeChairmanConfirmsMichaelTaylorContributorOpinionsexpressedbyForbesContributorsaretheirown.Longexperiencedinautojournalism,TaylorisbasedinItaly.New! Followthisauthortoimproveyourcontentexperience. Gotit!Jun22,2022,08:51amEDT|SharetoFacebookSharetoTwitterSharetoLinkedin Ford'sSaarlouis(Germany)plantisfacinganuncertainfutureafterlosingfutureFordEV...[+]productionbidstoCologneandValencia.Photo:RalphOrlowski/GettyImages GettyImages ThesecondstrongholdofFord’sEuropeanoperationscouldfallin2025,withFordconfirmingitwillnotreplacetheGerman-madeFocushatchbackafteritslifecycleendsin2025. FordofEuropeChairmanStuartRowleytoldaconferencecallofjournaliststodayhewashuntingfor“alternativeopportunities”fortheSaarlouisbodyassemblyandmanufacturingoperation. ThereisnoconfirmedchangeforthegiantCologneoperationthathasbeenFord’scontinentalmainstaysince1929,whichwilltakethelion’sshareofproductionofVolkswagenMEB-basedEVsfrom2023. TheoptionsforFordincludesellingtheplanttoanotherautomakerorrepurposingitforother,unconfirmedoperations. "WeareseekingotheralternativeopportunitiesforvehicleproductionatSaarlouis,includingothermanufacturers,"Rowleysaidtoday. "WedonothaveinourplanningcycleanadditionalmodelthatgoesintoSaarlouis." FordofEuropepreferredtosendsomeofitsVolkswagen-basedMEBEVproductiontoit'sSpanish...[+]plantinValenciaratherthancontinueatSaarlouis.Photographer:PauBarrena/Bloomberg ©2016BloombergFinanceLP ItcouldhavebeenusedtobuildthenewFordrangeofEVs,basedontheVolkswagenGroup’sMEBarchitecture,batteriesandelectricmotors,butitlostitsbidtotheFordSpainplantinValencia. MOREFROMFORBESADVISORBestTravelInsuranceCompaniesByAmyDaniseEditorBestCovid-19TravelInsurancePlansByAmyDaniseEditor FordofEuropeismovingtoapureelectricfutureandlargejoblosseswereexpectedfromthe4600workersatSaarlouisandthe6000peopleatValenciainthetransitiontoEVsanyway. "TherealityoftheindustryisthattheproductionofEVswillrequirefewerpeople,"Rowleysaid. Fordcurrentlyemploys6,000peopleinValenciaand4,600inSaarlouis,whichopenedin1970andsitson296acresofland. OtherthantheFordplant,Saarlouisismostnotedasthebirthplaceofoutrageouslycourageous...[+]Napoleonicleader,MarshallMichelNey.PhotobyPhoto12/UIG/GettyImages UniversalImagesGroupviaGettyImages OtherthantheFordplant,SaarlouisismostfamousforsittingontheSaarriverandhavingbeenperiodicallyFrenchandGerman,andalsobeingthebirthplaceofNapoleonic-eraFrenchhero,MarshallMichelNey. Ford'ssiteinCologne,Germany,isnotaffectedbytheheadcountreduction. TheValenciaplant,towhichSaarlouislostout,buildsboththeS-MaxandGalaxyminivansandtheKugacompactSUV.ItalsobuilttheMondeosedanandwagon,buttheyhavebeendiscontinuedbyFordandwillnotbedirectlyreplaced. FordhashadalonghistoryinGermany,startingworkonitsCologneplantin1929inresponsetoGM’spurchaseofacontrollinginterestinOpel(nowownedbyStellantis).HenryFordhimselflaidthefoundationstonein1930,andthefirstFord-aModelAtruck-rolledofftheCologneproductionlinein1931. Followmeon Twitter. Checkout my website. MichaelTaylorEditorialStandardsPrintReprints&Permissions