As part of Ford’s major push into electrification, it will launch 14 electric vehicles in Europe by the end of 2020. To support this, it has announced a €42m investment into its battery production facilities in Valencia, Spain.
Ford has already invested €3bn in its Valencia manufacturing plant since 2011, including €750m to support production of Kuga – Ford’s most electrified vehicle ever – and will add a further €42m as it introduces the new S-Max hybrid and Galaxy hybrid models.
The investment will support the company’s electrification push with a ‘state-of-the-art’ battery assembly facility. Two new assembly lines will enable the advanced lithium-ion batteries that help power all-new Kuga plug-in hybrid, all-new Kuga hybrid, and new S-Max hybrid and Galaxy hybrid to be produced alongside the vehicles for greater manufacturing efficiency and sustainability. Delivered through a €24m investment, the new battery assembly facility will begin production in September this year.
Production of the new self-charging electrified S-Max and Galaxy variants – powered by a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle petrol engine, electric motor, generator and lithium-ion battery – is enabled by an additional €8m investment in new tooling and assembly line upgrades at Ford’s Valencia facility. A further €10m investment supports production of the all-new Kuga Hybrid SUV.
“With electrification fast becoming the mainstream, we are increasing our investment in Valencia to provide even more electrified models and powertrain options for our customers,” said Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe. “By making it easier than ever to transition into an electrified vehicle, we expect the majority of our passenger vehicle sales to be electrified by the end of 2022.”
