Ford to introduce 20 new or upgraded vehicles in Europe over next 3 years

FoMoCo is planning on rolling out at least 20 new or upgraded models in Europe over the next three years as part of a way to boost sales in the region. The move will add ‘several hundred’ jobs at a plant in Valencia, Spain, and 200 positions at two factories in Germany to underpin production plans.

The next-generation Ford Transit Connect and Ford Kuga are planned to be built at Ford’s assembly plant in Valencia, Spain. Ford’s plant in Saarlouis, Germany, which recently started production of the all-new Ford Focus, will build the Focus Electric from 2012. In the future, the plant also will build the next-generation Ford Focus, which follows the current model. Ford’s plant in Cologne, Germany, will build a freshened version of the Ford Fiesta that goes into production next year. The plant will also produce the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine later this year. Ford’s plant in Craiova, Romania, will build the all-new Ford B-MAX from early 2012 and also will manufacture a second B-segment vehicle in the future.

“We’ve come through the worst of the economic crisis as a strong and profitable company, and we have a full pipeline of exciting vehicles coming to market,” said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe, who announced the moves by Ford at a news conference in Valencia, Spain. “Now we are taking the right actions to grow profitably in Europe.

Ford said that assembly plants in Valencia, Spain, and Saarlouis, Germany, will be dedicated to manufacturing C-segment vehicles, while Ford’s operations in Cologne, Germany and Craiova, Romania, will build B-segment vehicles and small fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines.