Fleming: Romania, strategic export location for Ford

Ford plant of Craiova is set to become one of the US carmaker’s main export centres in Europe, according to John Fleming, a CEO and chairman of Ford Europe, once it reaches production of 300,000 cars in 2012. “Romania has a strategic importance for Ford Europe. We’re not interested in producing cars that we should sell only on the domestic market. We want Romania to become a strategic export location for Ford Europe, and this is why we’re investing in the plant of Craiova,” John Fleming said. Ford holds ten plants in Europe, including production centres in Russia and Turkey. While car sales plummeted across Europe amid the economic downturn, particularly on the segment of commercial vehicles, Ford’s plans for Craiova have not changed. “Despite the crisis, we’ve stuck to our investment plan for Ford Romania. The programme will further unfold as scheduled. The number of models to be manufactured in Craiova and the number of jobs at the plant have not changed and will not be harmed by the crisis,” Fleming said. Thus, 7,000 people will work at the plant and at least two new models are considered for introduction besides the Transit Connect utility car.