Ford said on Monday it will invest up to £230 million to build electric car components at its Halewood factory on Merseyside.
Halewood will become Ford’s first electric vehicle component in-house assembly site in Europe with production beginning in 2024.
The move advances Ford’s commitment to have 100% of its passenger vehicles as all-electric and two-thirds of its commercial vehicle sales all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.
“Power unit production in Halewood is expected to begin in mid-2024,” said Ford.
“Production capacity is planned to be around 250,000 units a year.
“The investment – which is subject to and includes U.K Government support through its Automotive Transformation Fund – will help safeguard the Ford jobs at Halewood.”
Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe, said: “This is an important step, marking Ford’s first in-house investment in all-electric vehicle component manufacturing in Europe.
“It strengthens further our ability to deliver 100 percent of Ford passenger vehicles in Europe being all-electric and two-thirds of our commercial vehicle sales being all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.
“We also want to thank the U.K. Government for its support for this important investment at Halewood which reconfirms Ford’s continuing commitment to the U.K. and our position as a leading investor in this country’s auto industry and technological base.”
The UK Government’s business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “Ford’s decision to build its first electric vehicle components in Europe at its Halewood site is further proof that the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for high-quality automotive manufacturing.
“In this highly competitive, global race to secure electric vehicle manufacturing, our priority is to ensure the UK reaps the benefits.
“Today’s announcement, backed by government funding, is a huge vote of confidence in Britain’s economic future and our plans to ramp up electric vehicle production. It will future-proof Halewood’s proud industrial heritage and secure high-skilled, well-paid jobs across the North West for years to come.”