BUCHAREST, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Ford plant in south Romania started the production of new EcoSport SUV for Europe on Thursday, with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Mihai Tudose attending the launching ceremony.
The facility in the southern Romanian city of Craiova will be the single Ford unit that will produce the new model EcoSport for Europe (except from Russia). Overall, the facility will deliver the Ford SUV to 56 markets on four continents.
The investment was valued at 200 million euros (237 million U.S. dollars), with 1,700 new people to be hired for a production of up to 10,000 units per year, according to the Ford Europe representatives. Ford's total investment in its Romanian facility now exceeds 1 billion euros (1.185 billion U.S. dollars) since it took over the plant in March 2008.
"With demand growing for EcoSport, and compact SUVs in general, now it is the right time to localize production in Europe to meet our customers' needs," said Seven Armstrong, vice-president of the group and president of Europe,the Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company.
Iohannis said that the Romanian auto industry is becoming stronger at the European car market, with the launch of the new Ford model.
The new Ford EcoSport offers enhanced versatility and capability, more refined interior and exterior styling, and a range of new technologies such as Ford Intelligent All Wheel Drive, which provides improved on- and off-road traction. An advanced new 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel engine delivers up to 125 PS and optimized CO2 emissions, according to Ford.
