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The
plant will produce around 250,000 power units a year from
mid-2024, the first European in-house location to make electric
vehicle parts for Ford, which has pledged that its car line-up
for the continent will be all-electric by 2030.
The government is contributing to the investment through its
Automotive Transformation Fund as brands intensify their
electrification plans ahead of combustion engine bans, and
countries vie with each other to secure jobs.
The British government has tended to provide around 10% of the
total investment value for automotive firms.
"This is an important step, marking Ford’s first in-house
investment in all-electric vehicle component manufacturing in
Europe," said Ford's Europe President Stuart Rowley.
The carmaker also has a transmission facility in Cologne,
Germany. Halewood, which employs around 500 people, was chosen
due to "its excellent record on quality, competitiveness and the
strong skills base and commitment of the employees", Ford said.
Nissan in July pledged to invest further in Britain with a new
battery plant and Stellantis said less than a week later its
Vauxhall Ellesmere Port factory would build electric vans.
Following Britain's 2016 Brexit vote, many in the automotive
industry were concerned about trade barriers but the December
2020 exit deal between London and Brussels secured zero-tariff
access for the sector, subject to a minimum level of parts
sourced from the region.
"In this highly competitive, global race to secure electric
vehicle manufacturing, our priority is to ensure the UK reaps
the benefits," said business minister Kwasi Kwarteng.
($1 = 0.7273 pounds)
(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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