Ford India’s Chennai plant has restarted export production of the EcoSport compact SUV. There is an export commitment of about 30,000 units from the US automaker that recently announced the closure of production facilities there. According to IANS, the company must complete this by the end of 2021.
The Union request a meeting
While this is going on, the union representing Ford workers in India has requested a meeting with the company’s top executives. The meeting’s agenda will likely include compensation for the OEM’s workers in India after three of the company’s four plants were shut down.
Ford India announced on September 9th that it will cease vehicle assembly operations in India after the current fiscal year. Sanand’s vehicle assembly will be shut down by the end of the year, according to the automaker. In addition, by the second quarter of 2022, all vehicle and engine production will cease in Chennai. Only the Sanand engine plant will continue to be in use.
The Sanand engine plant will continue to make engines for Ranger models sold in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa regions as well.
Ford to make EcoSports cars
The EcoSport is built in Chennai, while the Figo and Aspire are assembled in Sanand. The Chennai plant also produces EcoSport for export markets in addition to the Indian market. The Endeavour SUV was last manufactured in Chennai at the end of 2011.
Ford India’s decision to stop manufacturing in India is a setback for the government’s make-in-India initiative. Moreover, Ford is the fourth major automaker to make a similar announcement, joining Chevrolet, UM Motorcycles, and Harley-Davidson.
The decision by Ford India will leave approximately 5,300 people without a job. The Chennai plant employs approximately 2,700 long-term employees and a further 600 temporary workers. There are approximately 2,000 people employed in Sanand. More than 500 people are employed at the Sanand engine plant of the automaker.
Also, read: Best alternative SUVs for Ford Ecosport in India
