Ford to invest $72 mn to expand Chennai engine unit

Ford Motor Company will invest $72 million to expand its powertrain facility in Chennai to further support its sales and export growth plans in India. When the expansion programme is completed in mid-2012, the plant's production capacity will increase from 250,000 to 330,000 units per year, an additional output of 80,000 diesel engines annually.

Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India.

The expansion of diesel engine production capacity will bring Ford's total investment in India to more than $ 1 billion. "The new investment also further supports our plan to introduce eight new global Ford vehicles in India by 2015," Boneham added. When the expansion is finished, a third production shift will be added at the engine assembly plant, creating more than 300 new direct jobs.