18 January 2020
Ford has announced a €42 million investment in its Valencia manufacturing plant, Spain, to support the company’s electrification strategy with a state-of-the-art battery assembly facility in addition to new S-MAX Hybrid and Galaxy Hybrid models.
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 €24 million investment, the new battery assembly facility will begin production in September this year.
Ford has stated its intention to introduce 14 electrified models (HEVs/PHEVs/BEVs) in Europe by the end of 2020, which requires appropriate investment at its production sites.
One of the latest projects is a new €24 million battery pack assembly facility at its Valencia manufacturing plant in Spain, which should be ready by September 2020. This is part of a broader €42 million investment in electrified variants of various models to comply with stricter emission requirements in Europe.
The new facility will support hybrid and plug-in hybrid car production, including:
- Ford Kuga PHEV
- Kuga Hybrid
- Ford S-MAX Hybrid (2021)
- Ford Galaxy Hybrid (2021)
The company didn’t provide any details about production capacity. All of Ford’s battery packs will be liquid-cooled.
The plug-in hybrid Ford Kuga PHEV, with a 14.4 kWh battery, is expected to have an all-electric range of up to 50 km (31 miles). It would be great to see a plug-in hybrid version of S-MAX and Galaxy as well.
Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe said: “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. 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.”
