Ford is investing a total of £380m in its Halewood Plant in Merseyside as it transitions to an all-electric vehicle range by 2035.
Today’s announcement of a further £125m will increase its capacity and mean that Halewood’s electric power units will be in 70% of Ford EVs sold in Europe by 2026.
“This is an all-important next step for Ford towards having nine EVs on sale within two years. Our UK workforce is playing a major role in Ford’s all-electric future, demonstrated by Halewood’s pivot to a new zero-emission powertrain,” said Tim Slatter, Chairman of Ford UK.
The investment will secure employment for 500 people.
“Ford is a global American brand, woven into the fabric of Europe for more than 100 years and a major employer here at Halewood for almost 60 years,” added Kieran Cahill, Ford’s European Industrial Operations Vice-President.
“Our vision in Europe is to build a thriving business, by extending leadership in commercial vehicles and through the electrification of our car range. Halewood is playing a critical part as our first in-house investment in EV component manufacturing in Europe.”
Halewood technology will be delivered to assembly lines at Ford Otosan plants in Romania and Turkey, meaning it will make up a significant share of Ford UK’s annual exports value – currently £2.1bn each year.
The investment includes government support from UK Export Finance, through their Export Development Guarantee.
