Photo: Ford
Ford has confirmed a substantial investment in its Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Blue Oval will invest $170 million in the expansion of the plant, which will manufacture the Ford Everest SUV and the upcoming Ranger pick-up truck.
The American company’s investment will lead to the creation of 1,200 new jobs in South Africa. Production of the new Everest seven-seat SUV will commence in the third quarter of this year.
Ford is also building the Everest SUV in Thailand, India, and China. The latter two only manufacture vehicles for the local markets, while the Thailand plant will focus on global distribution, while the South Africa-produced vehicles will be sold locally and exported to other markets on the same continent.
Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant is already manufacturing the Ranger, and the unit is already operating at maximum capacity, so an upgrade was required to facilitate the Everest. Ranger production began at the factory near Pretoria in 2008.
As in the case of the Everest, production caters to the local market and the requirements of the South-African continent, but also involves some exports to other markets when the Thailand facility is overwhelmed. The plant serves the African and Middle-Eastern markets, formed of 67 countries. Ford separated its divisions in 2014 on areas to have a dedicated focus on consumer needs and market conditions for different continents.
This plant will make 10,000 Ford Everests a year, thus ensuring proper market coverage in South Africa and enhanced flexibility in the global production process of the Blue Oval.
With the addition of the new factory in Everest’s production, Ford also introduced a new engine variant of this model, a 2.2-liter Duratorq TDCi diesel engine. The Dearborn-based automaker will also provide a wider spread of specification levels for this model, ensuring a generous array of versions to choose from.
Ford’s all-new Everest is a body-on-frame seven-seat SUV and comes with an intelligent four-wheel drive system with the Active Terrain Management system.
The American company’s investment will lead to the creation of 1,200 new jobs in South Africa. Production of the new Everest seven-seat SUV will commence in the third quarter of this year.
Ford is also building the Everest SUV in Thailand, India, and China. The latter two only manufacture vehicles for the local markets, while the Thailand plant will focus on global distribution, while the South Africa-produced vehicles will be sold locally and exported to other markets on the same continent.
Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant is already manufacturing the Ranger, and the unit is already operating at maximum capacity, so an upgrade was required to facilitate the Everest. Ranger production began at the factory near Pretoria in 2008.
As in the case of the Everest, production caters to the local market and the requirements of the South-African continent, but also involves some exports to other markets when the Thailand facility is overwhelmed. The plant serves the African and Middle-Eastern markets, formed of 67 countries. Ford separated its divisions in 2014 on areas to have a dedicated focus on consumer needs and market conditions for different continents.
This plant will make 10,000 Ford Everests a year, thus ensuring proper market coverage in South Africa and enhanced flexibility in the global production process of the Blue Oval.
With the addition of the new factory in Everest’s production, Ford also introduced a new engine variant of this model, a 2.2-liter Duratorq TDCi diesel engine. The Dearborn-based automaker will also provide a wider spread of specification levels for this model, ensuring a generous array of versions to choose from.
Ford’s all-new Everest is a body-on-frame seven-seat SUV and comes with an intelligent four-wheel drive system with the Active Terrain Management system.
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