(June 24, 2010) BANGKOK, Thailand — Ford today announced it is investing $450 million in a new state-of-the-art passenger vehicle manufacturing plant in Rayong, Thailand, scheduled for completion in 2012.

The facility will begin building the next-generation Ford Focus in 2012 for Thailand and other markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The highly flexible plant will be capable of building a diverse range of vehicles in the future.

“Today’s announcement is another important step in our aggressive expansion in the Asia Pacific region to meet demand for our world-class Ford products in this fast-growing region,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “Globally, we are committed to delivering a full lineup of Ford brand vehicles with best-in-class quality, fuel efficiency, safety, and smart technology that customers want and value.”
 
With an initial capacity of 150,000 units per year, the new plant will be equipped with state-of-the-art automation and utilize Ford’s global manufacturing processes and systems. Up to 85 percent of the plant’s production will be for markets outside Thailand.
 
“This investment underscores our long term commitment to Thailand, and its role as a global production and export hub for Ford,” said Joe Hinrichs, president, Ford Asia Pacific and Africa. “The decision to build our new plant was supported by Thailand’s world-class automotive industry, and logistics and export infrastructure.”
 
The next-generation Focus will be built on the company’s new global C-car platform, which will eventually underpin up to two million Ford vehicles per year sold in markets around the world.  The C-car segment is currently the world’s largest vehicle segment, and is projected to account for nearly 28 percent of global passenger car sales by 2013.
 
The new 750,000-square-meter assembly plant in Thailand will be fully integrated to support body assembly, paint, trim and final assembly. It also will follow Ford’s global model of sustainability initiatives and environmentally-responsible processes and systems.