Two years after winding up its India production, global automobile giant Ford Motor Company is in talks with the Tamil Nadu government to restart operations at Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai, where it will focus on exports. Chief Minister Stalin visited Ford headquarters in Michigan on Tuesday and held discussions with its top management, urging it to restart production. "Had a very engaging discussion with the team from Ford Motors.
The vehicle known as Chassis 30 can also be credited with having saved the fledgling firm from bankruptcy.
Ford, which had announced to quit the Indian market last year, said it was exploring the possibility of using one of its plants in India to produce electric cars for exports.
According to the data release by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, car sales surged by 25 per cent in June 2004 over the same month last year. Take the Rediff Business Quiz and find out how much you know about the automobile sector.
American auto major Ford Motor on Friday said it is preparing to utilise its Chennai manufacturing plant to roll out vehicles for exports and has intimated the same to the Tamil Nadu government. Minister for TRB Rajaa, who is in the United States accompanying the Chief Minister M K Stalin to woo investors, said the efforts of the Chief Minister to reposition 'Brand Tamil Nadu' in its Numero Uno place has yielded rich dividends.
Patel did not specify which part of Michigan the FBI operation took place in. But in a separate social media post on Friday, the police department for the city of Dearborn noted that FBI agents had been active in its community.
The chances of former workers getting jobs depends on the model under which Ford would restart its Chennai plant operations -- under Ford India or as a joint venture or under any other model.
'We participate in the design/development of components and systems for electric vehicles, internal combustion engines, and hybrid vehicles.'
Tata Indica, the Tata Group's big passenger car bet, was not delivering expected returns a year into its launch. Desperate, the Tata Motors brass, led by Ratan Tata, acceded to a meeting request from Ford Motors for a possible sale of the passenger vehicles division to the American auto major. Some people had advised Tata to sell the business, and the Ford officials came to Bombay House to hold talks.
Tamil Nadu -- often dubbed as India's own Detroit due to its thriving automobile manufacturing ecosystem -- is in no mood to miss the EV bus either. Recent developments attest to it. Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast has promised a $2 billion plant in the southern state. And as promised earlier, the work on Tata Motors-JLR plant will kick off next week, on September 28, after the foundation stone laying ceremony.
Tata Motors has inked a pact to acquire Ford India's Sanand-based manufacturing plant for Rs 725.7 crore, as it aims to bolster its passenger vehicle production capacity. As part of the deal, Tata Motors will get the entire land and buildings, vehicle manufacturing plant along with machinery and equipment situated therein, the Mumbai-based auto major said in a statement. The deal also includes the transfer of all eligible employees, it added.
As Ford Motor Co shuts down its manufacturing plants in India, hundreds of workers will lose jobs.
The BJP has criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his explanation of decentralisation using a car and motorcycle engine analogy at a university in Colombia.
The automotive business includes vehicle manufacturing plants of Ford India in Chennai and Sanand.
US auto major Ford Motor Co will shut its two manufacturing plants in India and will sell only imported vehicles in the country as part of a restructuring exercise, according to people aware of the development. The company, which invested about USD 2.5 billion at its Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Sanand (Gujarat) plants, will stop selling vehicles such as the EcoSport, Figo and Aspire which are produced from these plants. Going ahead, it would only sell imported vehicles like Mustang in the country.
He will be succeeded by Joginder Singh, who now heads the Business Services Centre of Ford Motor Company.
Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM), a subsidiary of Tata Motors, on Friday announced that it has commenced production at its second factory in Sanand, Gujarat, which it had acquired from Ford India last year. This new facility will unlock an additional manufacturing capacity of 300,000 units per annum, which is scalable to 420,000 units. The new facility is spread over 460 acres and is adjacent to Tata Motors' existing passenger vehicle facility in Sanand.
Ford Motor Company expects its sourcing of components from India to double or even treble in the next few years, a top official of the company's Indian subsidiary said on Wednesday.\n\n\n\n
New Fiesta introduced on Thursday is available in both petrol and diesel versions.
Europe's top-end car maker Volvo is planning an onslaught on the Indian market on the back of Ford India Ltd. Ford India's parent, the US-based Ford Motor, owns Volvo's car business.
Days after Ford Motor chairman and CEO Bill Ford promised fresh investments for India, the company said it will be pumping in $75 million (around Rs 330 crore) for expanding operations.
The new millennium has seen a downturn in profits for this brand. But knowing the legacy that is Ford, it can be safely said that success is just around the corner.
Ford Motors, one of the big three in the US auto industry, is planning to increase its market share at a time when its rivals -- GM and Chrysler -- are tackling bankruptcy and restructuring procedures.
Highlighting the importance of the Indian market, US auto giant Ford Motor Co on Tuesday had the first public showing of its new mid-size premium car 'Fiesta' with company chairman and CEO Bill Ford promising further investments
After Chennai, it is Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchirappalli, that are emerging as manufacturing hubs. Coimbatore is India's top Tier-II city in terms of the number of GCCs, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield.
Ford Motor India would announce an across the board price hike next month, a top company official said on Wednesday.
Ford launched its new Endeavour for Rs 17.32 lakhs. It is also planning an investment of $500 millio in small car segment in India.
Ford Motor India said on Monday that it hopes to wipe out its losses this year riding on the growing sales of its mid-size sedan Ikon.
Post the completion of expansion programme in mid-2012, the engine plant's production capacity will increase from 2.5 lakh units to 330,000 units per year.
This rating action follows the announcement by Ford Motor Company (Ford, which has a rating-B3/Stable) naming Tata Motors the preferred buyer for Ford's luxury Jaguar and Land Rover car brands.
The US auto giant Ford Motor on Tuesday said it would post profits at its Indian unit from this year, with a strong sales growth of its mid-size sedan 'Ikon' in the market.
Ford Motor India on Monday said the sales of its flagship model Ikon crossed the 10,000 mark in the first five months this year and the company was poised to post profit in 2004.
Tata Motors made waves when it bought the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Test your knowledge about the erstwhile owner of these brands -- Henry Ford.
Tata Motors on Monday said its subsidiary and Ford India have inked a pact with the Gujarat government to acquire FIPL's Sanand vehicle manufacturing plant. Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd (TPEML) -- a subsidiary of Tata Motors -- and Ford India Pvt Ltd (FIPL) have today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Gujarat government for the potential acquisition of FIPL's Sanand vehicle manufacturing facility, including land, buildings, vehicle manufacturing plant, machinery and equipment, Tata Motors said in a regulatory filing. The MoU also includes the transfer of all eligible employees of FIPL Sanand's vehicle manufacturing operations, subject to the signing of definitive agreements and receipt of relevant approvals, it added.
Ford Motor India plans to hike prices by up to Rs 19,000 on mid-size car Ikon next month after steep increase in steel prices raised input costs and put pressures on margins.
With Tata Motors subsidiary taking over Ford's passenger vehicle (PV) manufacturing unit at Sanand in Gujarat, uncertainty over the future of Ford's Maraimalai Nagar unit in Tamil Nadu continues, with workers protesting on Thursday demanding a better severance package. There are over 2,000 employees working at the unit. On Thursday, there was a meeting between agitating employees and the state labour department. The workers started protests at the Chennai unit after Tata Passenger Electric Mobility signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with Ford India and the Government of Gujarat for acquisition of Ford's PV manufacturing plant at Sanand.
India's role as an important player in the future of Ford Motor Company's international strategy was underscored on Wednesday when the company's President and CEO Alan Mulally unveiled an all-new small car targetting the Indian car market: the Ford Figo.
Ford Motor India said on Wednesday that it has firmed up plans to launch 'Fusion' in the next three months as the prototype of the vehicle, a crossover between a car and an MUV, has been developed.
Ford India has created waves in the Indian hatchback market with its latest offering the Ford Figo.
'We announced a $500 million investment plan for India. I have not received a single call from either the US or Bangkok (Ford's Asian centre of operations) asking me to freeze the investment programme or to scale it down,' says Michael Boneham, MD, Ford India.
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