The first Ford car made in Romania, the B-Max model, will go into production later on this year. A version of its series premiere has been recently presented at the Geneva Motor Show, the second most important automotive event after the auto show in Frankfurt.

The presentation of this new model comes almost four years after the American company Ford signed the privatization contract for Romania's Automobile Craiova.

The general director of Ford Europe, Stephen Odell, believes the Ford factory in Craiova is one of the most effective investment of the group, especially because it opens new opportunities for the European market.

The production level of B-Max next year will reach nearly 150,000 units, of which over 80 percent will be exported to other European markets. Therefore, Ford expects 15,000 to 20,000 B-Max units to be sold on the local market, a volume that will increase Ford’s market share to almost 20 percent.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com