Ford has officially opened its new US$500m new engine plant in Chongqing at its Chinese joint venture with Changan Ford Automobile (CAF).
The initial capacity of 400,000 units more than doubles previous engine production capacity of 350,000 units. The new plant had technology to minimise environmental impact by reducing water, chemical and electricity usage, and significantly cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
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“This new engine plant is world class,” said said Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally.
“The engines produced here and the process by which they are manufactured represent the latest in sustainable and green manufacturing processes.”
Ford will initially make two engines at Changan Ford Engine Plant (CAFEP): a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated I4 and its award winning one litre I3 EcoBoost unit. The engines will be fitted into locally made EcoSport and Fiesta models and others as part of the automaker’s plan to introduce 15 new vehicles in China by 2015.
Regional expansion
CAFEP is the second of seven new Ford plants opening across the Asia Pacific region this decade and the second of five in China.
“This kind of expansion is nearly unprecedented, and it really reflects the level of commitment we have to this region,” said Mulally. “CAFEP and the other plants we’re building in Asia Pacific represent long-term investments over decades.”
Located in Lijia, in Chongqing’s New Northern Zone, the plant site covers an area of more than 400,000 sq m, of which nearly 165,000 sq m is taken up by the engine plant itself.
