Ford Picks Valencia For New Electric Car Plant
Automobile manufacturer, Ford’s next generation of electric cars in Europe will be built at its plant in Valencia.
The Valencia plant was chosen over its rival facility located in Saarlouis, Germany.
According to the American car manufacturer, it plans to sell only electric cars in Europe by 2030, ahead of a planned EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
However, this will come at a cost as there will be “significant” job losses as part of its changing strategy, the company’s spokesperson told Reuters.
Electric cars rely more on automated assembly lines to build, requiring less human involvement.
The reality of this is that plants that do not secure production orders for electric vehicles, such as the Saarlouis facility, which employs 4,600 workers, face the threat of closure the moment an EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, planned for 2035, comes into force.
Even for the sites which are selected for electric vehicle assembly – including the Valencia plant, which employs 6,000 workers – Ford has warned there job loses will be inevitable.
