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From Farewell to Homecoming: Ford's Tamil Nadu Saga

Once a catalyst for Tamil Nadu's industrial transformation, Ford now stands poised to reignite its Chennai operations, thanks to the state’s proactive industrial policies.

By TE Narasimhan

19 Sep 2024

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From Farewell to Homecoming: Ford's Tamil Nadu Saga

Ford has left its mark on the global auto industry many times over, but in Tamil Nadu, the company's contribution was seminal. It can perhaps be credited with laying the foundation stone for the so-called "Detroit of South East Asia”. Equally remarkably, Ford managed to bring two bitterly opposed political parties in the state -- Jayalalithaa's AIADMK and Karunanidhi's DMK -- on the same page.

Three decades on, Ford is again set to make history by becoming the first company to revive production at a previously shuttered plant in the region. The company, in September, submitted a Letter of ...

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