Ford Sollers Bolsters SUV Line-up in Russia
Ford Sollers announced today it is expanding its lineup of Ford sport utility vehicles produced in Russia to meet rising demand.
The two-year old joint venture between Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and Sollers said it will begin full-cycle production of the Ford EcoSport SUV next year at its vehicle assembly plant in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan.
It also was confirmed the Ford Edge crossover SUV will go into production at the Ford Sollers assembly plant in Elabuga, Tatarstan, early next year.
[ Also Read: Ford Celebrates Opening of First Myanmar Dealership ]“The Ford EcoSport and Ford Edge, which have proved to be great successes around the world, will give Russian customers two new stylish, fun-to-drive options from Ford’s family of SUVs,” said Ford Motor Company executive chairman Bill Ford, who currently is visiting Ford Sollers’ operations in Russia. “In addition to strengthening the Ford brand in Russia, production of these vehicles will create jobs and prosperity for the local community and help build a strong Russian auto industry for the future.”
[ Also Read: Welcome to Moscow, the Silicon Valley of Russia ]Vadim Shvetsov, CEO, Sollers, added: “This year has been unbelievably productive for the Ford Sollers business. The team has launched the full cycle production of the Ford Explorer in the Elabuga plant, began construction of a new $274 million (10 billion Russian Roubles) engine plant in Tatarstan, plus announced the creation of an R&D center in Moscow, with operations in the Leningradskaya Oblast and Tatarstan. Today’s announcement helps to maintain the momentum the Ford Sollers business has achieved over the past two years since its creation.”
When it starts production next year, the Naberezhnye Chelny plant will be Ford Sollers’ third vehicle manufacturing facility. The company already builds vehicles in Vsevolozhsk in the Lenigradskaya Oblast, and Elabuga in Tatarstan.
