* The plant in Craiova in southern Romania will become Ford’s third European production facility to build an all-electric vehicle, following recent investments in its plants in Cologne, Germany, and Kocaeli, Turkey https://www.wardsauto.com/ informs. Ford is expanding and modernizing its assembly plant in Craiova, Romania, as it prepares to build a new light-commercial vehicle from 2023, followed by a battery-electric version in 2024. The plant in Craiova in southern Romania will become Ford’s third European production facility to build an all-electric vehicle, following recent investments in its plants in Cologne, Germany, and Kocaeli, Turkey. The new LCV, however, will be equipped with some of Ford’s most advanced internal-combustion engines, including diesels from the automaker’s Dagenham (U.K.) Engine Plant. Transmissions will be sourced from Halewood, U.K. Despite growing consumer demand, EV production in Romania is relatively small and the country’s charging infrastructure is severely underdeveloped compared with other European Union countries. The electric Ford FCV could help expand the market. The expansion at Craiova follows Ford’s investment of almost €2 billion ($2.26 billion) into the plant since acquiring a 72.4% stake in the facility from Daewoo Automobile Romania in 2008. That total includes €200 million ($238 million) invested in production of the Puma compact CUV – Ford’s best-selling vehicle in Romania – introduced in October 2019. Ford also invested €200 million in Craiova for production of the EcoSport CUV launched in October 2017. The EcoSport and Puma account for 53% of the passenger vehicles made by Ford in Romania, where the U.S. automaker employs about 6,000 people. The Craiova factory, which also manufactures 1.0L EcoBoost engines, has more than 600 robots used in the body, stamping, paint, trim and chassis shops. Ford announced last year it was investing $30 million in a new pressing line at Craiova in order to produce a wider range of components.
Ten non-governmental organizations in Romania have issued a joint letter criticizing the executive for the emergency ordinance adopted on Thursday, January 16, which provides sanctions, including a turnover tax, for social media giants that fail to obey rules regarding electoral ads. Another government measure under fire from the opposition limits voting in the diaspora according […]
Dacia, part of the French Renault group, will launch several electric models to compete with Chinese brands for the affordable EV car market in Europe. The first electric model will be the next Sandero, which will appear sometime at the end of 2027, the brand's director, Denis Le Vot, said on Thursday, according to Reuters. […]
Happy 2025, dear Insiders, may it be a good year! And let it start with classics, some universal, some underground. Italian director Federico Fellini is one of the biggest names in the history of the medium. To say he was very influential is an understatement. He has his own adjective (Fellini-esque) while scenes from his […]
Romanian national airline Tarom announced the establishment of a new company, Tarom Tehnic, dedicated to providing maintenance and repair services for civilian aircraft, specializing in Boeing, Airbus, and ATR models. The new company is expected to generate revenues of up to EUR 10 million in its first year of operation, according to estimates from the […]
Romania has been named the special guest country at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair, the Ministry of Culture announced. The event will coincide with the celebration of 120 years of Romanian-Egyptian diplomatic relations. According to the ministry, the news was shared by Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, Egypt's minister of culture, during a press conference […]
Bucharest has started implementing a special recycling project that directly benefits stray animals. In Tineretului, Floreasca, and Circului parks, eco-friendly vending machines have been installed to provide food and water for stray cats in exchange for recycling bottles and aluminum cans. “Street cats lead a hard life, especially in winter. Food is essential for their […]
