Ford Sollers, the joint venture of Ford and JSC Sollers in Russia, has begun production at its plant in the Republic of Tatarstan. The plant, which is Ford Sollers’ second assembly plant in Tatarstan and the third in Russia, will have an annual production capacity of up to 115,000 vehicles and will employ 1,500 people.
The first vehicle built at the Naberezhnie Chelny Assembly Plant is the Ford EcoSport subcompact SUV, which has been adapted to meet the needs of Russian customers. From 2015, the plant will also produce the five-door version of the Fiesta for the Russian market. The joint venture will also start building engines at its Elabuga plant in Tatarstan in 2015.
With the addition of the Fiesta, Ford Sollers will be building 11 Ford vehicles in Russia. The company now builds the full-size Explorer and Edge, mid-size Kuga, and subcompact EcoSport SUVs, as well as light commercial vehicles including the new Transit family, plus the Focus and Mondeo passenger cars.
“We’re proud to announce the start of production of the Ford EcoSport at Ford Sollers’ third assembly plant in Naberezhnie Chelny. This state-of-the art facility will build Ford vehicles to the highest quality levels,” said Ted Cannis, president and CEO, Ford Sollers. “EcoSport will be a winning addition to the Russian range and will strengthen Ford’s brand presence in the fast-growing SUV and crossover market segment,” he added.
The company says the EcoSport for Russia is fully adapted for Russian cold winter conditions. The model is available in a choice of front- and all-wheel drive options, and comes with either a 1.6-liter or 2.0-liter gasoline engine mated to a 5- or 6-speed manual or Powershift 6-speed automatic transmission.
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