Ford Saarlouis Assembly Plant Could Be Sold To Investor

Back in June 2022, FoMoCo announced that the the Valencia Assembly plant in Spain will be converted to produce electric vehicles later this decade, while the Ford Saarlouis Assembly plant in Germany would cease production in 2025, though the automaker has been actively seeking an investor for that facility – a list that previously included Chinese EV maker BYD, as well as Magna International and VDL Nedcar. As Ford Authority reported last June, the Ford Saarlouis Assembly plant later attracted “a major investor,” though that unnamed entity reportedly backed out of a deal for the facility back in October. Now, according to Automotive News Europe, talks are currently underway with another investor.

“I remain confident that we will find a solution for the site to keep as many jobs as possible,” said Saarland president, Anke Rehlinger, who noted that talks are currently ongoing with an investor from the automotive industry, though it’s unclear who that might be or what company they might be associated with. “There are other alternatives for the plant if no automotive investor is found.” Rehlinger also noted that a recent decision to end EV subsidies in Germany isn’t expected to impact this process. “I believe that in the end, such a decision would not jeopardize a major investment,” she said.

Ford previously announced that it would stop building the Focus at the Saarlouis plant in 2025, but last March, revealed that it plans to keep the facility open until 2032, with a reduced workforce of around 1,000 workers – versus the 4,500 that are employed at the plant today. It’s unclear what the automaker plans to use the plant for beyond 2025, though it could simply be an effort to attract new investors to the site who may want to take over its operations.

In the meantime, production of the Focus continues at the Saarlouis plant for the time being, though that long-running model is set to be discontinued at the facility next year.

We’ll have more on the future of all Ford plants soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford news coverage.