As Ford Authority reported back in September 2021, Ford announced that it would be ending its manufacturing operations in India after years of losses, meaning that both the Sanand Assembly plant and Chennai Assembly plant would be closing down as well. At the same time, Ford announced that it would be revamping its lineup in that country by adding new and iconic models such as the Ford Mustang and Ford Mustang Mach-E. FoMoCo then began searching for buyers for both of those plants, and wound up selling the Sanand facility to Tata Motors. After a long dispute with workers at the Chennai plant, The Blue Oval settled on a severance package, but it has still had a hard time finding a buyer for that particular facility. Now, rumors have surfaced indicating that Ford may in fact be mulling a return to India in a rather sharp turn of events, according to MSN.
This development stems from Ford’s decision to cancel the sale of the Chennai plant, but there are also other tea leaves that suggest the automaker may have changed its mind on operating in that market, too. Though the Chennai plant stopped building vehicles last year, Ford has since posted new jobs for the Indian market and is rumored to be thinking about building all-electric vehicles in Chennai at some point in the near future.
Additionally, Ford is believed to be getting ready to relaunch a newly revamped lineup in India, though it’s unclear what models it may try to sell there. With trucks and SUVs proving to be popular in that country, some believe that the Everest could be on that list, along with the Ford Ranger and Ford Mustang.
Historically speaking, the Indian automotive market has been a lucrative one for some, but also a difficult place to compete. In fact, Ford’s cross-town rival General Motors announced its plans to stop building vehicles there back in 2017, and had quite a bit of trouble selling its Talegaon plant as well amid a legal battle with around 1,000 workers who wanted the plant’s prospective buyer to keep them onboard, and for GM to pay them full wages in the meantime.
We’ll have more on Ford’s potential return to India soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
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