About 25-30% of the components of the new EcoSport model will be produced at the Craiova plant, Ford Romania president John Oldham said on Thursday, October 12.

The American group launched the production of the new SUV model at its factory in Romania yesterday.

"We have 10 suppliers on our platform in Craiova and it is very important for us to bring other suppliers to Craiova and Romania. But we also look at the opportunities to bring other products,"John Oldham added. Moreover, 60% of the engines produced in Craiova will be used to equip EcoSport.

The Ford plant in Craiova ended the production of the B-Max model in Craiova on September 1 to free the production lines for the EcoSport model. The plant in Craiova will be the only supplier of EcoSport SUVs for the European market, Oldham also said. The first EcoSport SUV produced in Craiova will reach the European market early next year when the European campaign begins.

Ford hasn’t yet announced the EcoSport price so far, nor its production volume. Ford estimates that the production volume will be higher than that of the B-Max model. The number of employees at the Craiova plant will also increase to 4,300 by the end of this year, for the first time after the company’s privatization.

Ford plans to produce other models in Romania and to use the factory at its full capacity, according to Ford Europe president Steven Armstrong. Meanwhile, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis and prime minister Mihai Tudose both promised that Romania would respect its commitment to develop the road infrastructure connecting the Ford plant in Craiova to the Western European markets.

Iohannis and Tudose attended the launch of the new model and the president even took a drive test with the new SUV.

editor@romania-insider.com