Production of the 2018 Ford EcoSport subcompact crossover officially kicked off in Craiova, Romania last week. Ford’s Craiova Assembly plant will be the sole source of EcoSport CUVs for the entire European market excluding Russia, and will supply the vehicles to a total of 56 global markets, reaching additional continents like Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
Previously, the European-market Ford EcoSport was imported from Chennai, India; Ford says that producing the crossover at its Romanian plant from here on out will help the automaker keep up with accelerating demand.
“EcoSport is another example of how Ford is growing our business on our strengths – including world-class SUVs,” says Ford President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa Steven Armstrong. “With demand growing for EcoSport, and compact SUVs in general, now is the right time to localize production in Europe to meet our customers’ needs.”
Ford EcoSport production at Craiova Assembly will contribute to the creation of another 1,700 jobs there, bringing the total number of hourly workers up to around 3,900, the automaker says. Apart from the EcoSport CUV, the Romanian plant also builds the 1.0-liter EcoBoost I3 engine, which is available in the newly-revised crossover. Previously, the plant built the Ford B-MAX multi-purpose vehicle, but that product was axed from the lineup to make way for the refreshed B-segment crossover.
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When will the new Ecosport be seen in the UK?