The first factory for fully electric vehicles in Romania opens soon

By 2024, Ford will have a manufacturing plant in Craiova

The Romanian city of Craiova announced today, 27 April 2021, a new investment of 248 million euros for the construction of a new light commercial vehicle factory funded by Ford Motors Company. It will be the first full-volume Ford electric vehicle factory built in Romania and the third in Europe.

Ford will begin production of its latest light commercial vehicle in Craiova in 2023, followed by a fully electric version in 2024.

Full range of zero-emission vehicles

The company pledged in February that its full range of zero-emission commercial vehicles, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, will be available in Europe by 2024. By 2030, all-electric or plug-in hybrid models are projected to account for two-thirds of Ford's commercial vehicle sales.

"Our plan to build this new light commercial vehicle factory in Romania reflects our fruitful and ongoing partnerships with local suppliers and the community, as well as the success of the entire Ford Craiova team,” said Stuart Rowley, President of Ford of Europe.

The mayor of Craiova, Lia Olguta Vasilescu, was happy to announce the upcoming project: “Good and long-awaited news for which we congratulate the biggest investor in our city! We agreed that in the immediate next period, we will have business meetings with other investors producing sub-assemblies for Ford's built cars to draw them into the new industrial park.”

At the same time, Ford management will support further actions to expand the Pitești-Craiova Express Road to include two additional traffic lanes with entry into Craiova and the Bucharest district, ensuring that traffic to Bucharest runs smoothly.

This news in Craiova comes in the context of the other investments already announced for the Ford Electrified Vehicle Center in Cologne (Germany) and Ford Otosan in Turkey and sends a clear signal about the company's commitment to offer European drivers commercial vehicles with zero emissions.