On Monday, Ford began volume vehicle production of the B-MAX small MPV at its new manufacturing plant in Craiova, Romania, ahead of European sales starting in September.
To celebrate the event, the Blue Oval held a special ceremony at Craiova that was attended by Romanian President Traian Basescu, who purchased the first new B-MAX to roll off the production line.
The B-MAX is the first car to be built at the Craiova facility following an investment of more than €675 million (about $846 million) by Ford in engine and vehicle production in Romania.
In May, the Blue Oval kicked off series production of its new 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine that recently won the coveted 2012 International Engine of the Year award.
“This is a great day for Ford Motor Company, our Craiova manufacturing facility, and for Romania,” said Stephen Odell, CEO Ford of Europe. “This is a world-class facility building two of Ford’s most advanced products – the Ford B-MAX and the 2012 International Engine of the Year, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine – to the highest quality levels for our customers.”
At the launch event, Ford also confirmed that it is starting to build a second engine at Craiova, a 1.5-litre petrol unit, which will go into volume production early next year. Ford said that it would release more details about the new petrol engine at a later date.
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