Photo: Troller
Ford’s melancholic end of production in Brazil was made even worse thanks to multiple disappointments that followed suit. Workers wanted to see the company’s factories in another automaker’s hands, but no attempt to get a buyer from the automotive industry went well. The last hope was for the Troller factory in Horizonte, Ceará. According to Diário do Nordeste, it was Ford’s fault that it all went sour. After saying it would sell the factory, the brand and the T4 project, Ford changed its mind and only the plant would be negotiable.
It was with that previous promise that Ceará’s Economic Development Secretary, Maia Júnior, worked to try to sell the factory. Three Brazilian groups and even some foreign automakers would have gotten interested in the deal. It would be similar to what Ford did when it sold Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and Aston Martin. Considered as the Brazilian Bronco, the T4 was reputed as a capable off-roader in a market that does not have many options for that and none produced locally. In other words, a successful niche product with the potential to sell a lot more.
It was no surprise that the deal had the most people interested. With Ford’s refusal to sell the brand and the T4 project, all companies that were interested in the factory immediately gave up. Developing a new car vehicle from the ground up would demand too much money. Apart from that, it would lack the reputation Troller managed to build to itself.
According to Diário do Nordeste, Maia Júnior now considers that Ford did not honor the promise it made, which will leave 470 workers unemployed and all the T4 fans pretty disappointed. Troller was created in 1997 as a legitimate Brazilian brand and Ford bought it in 2007 to seize tax incentives a factory in Ceará could offer. Allowing it to live would surely show some gratitude for the benefits it brought. Troller was conceived to cope with dust, not to bite it.
Source: Diário do Nordeste
It was no surprise that the deal had the most people interested. With Ford’s refusal to sell the brand and the T4 project, all companies that were interested in the factory immediately gave up. Developing a new car vehicle from the ground up would demand too much money. Apart from that, it would lack the reputation Troller managed to build to itself.
According to Diário do Nordeste, Maia Júnior now considers that Ford did not honor the promise it made, which will leave 470 workers unemployed and all the T4 fans pretty disappointed. Troller was created in 1997 as a legitimate Brazilian brand and Ford bought it in 2007 to seize tax incentives a factory in Ceará could offer. Allowing it to live would surely show some gratitude for the benefits it brought. Troller was conceived to cope with dust, not to bite it.
Source: Diário do Nordeste
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