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News of July 17, 2002

Ford Dedicates New Car Plant In St Petersburg

ST PETERSBURG - The new Ford car plant at Vsevolozhsk, 24 kms north east of St Petersburg, was officially opened on July 9 by John Fleming, Vice President, Manufacturing, Ford of Europe.

The plant is the first production facility owned by a global automotive company in Russia and represents an important milestone in the ongoing development of the Russian auto industry. The plant is well situated, close to its potential customer base, as 60 percent of the Russian car market is in St Petersburg and Moscow.

An initial investment of $150 million has been made in the plant, which will produce the latest version of the Ford Focus, the world's best selling car, in 4 door, 5 door and wagon versions. The car has been subject to extensive evaluation to ensure it is fully engineered to handle conditions which are unique to Russia.

Plant capacity will be 25,000 vehicles a year with potential for further expansion to 100,000 units depending on market demand. Four hundred jobs have been created at the new plant and Ford has committed to achieve 50 per cent local content within 5 years.

John Fleming, Vice President Manufacturing, Ford of Europe said, "This is the right strategic move for Ford, to take its presence in the important Russian market to a new level. We are already well established as an importer in Russia, with many years experience in the market, but with limited growth potential without a manufacturing base. So now is the right time to invest in a high quality plant producing an outstanding product for the Russian customer."

A Centre of Manufacturing Excellence has also been established, with an investment of $270,000, to meet the training needs of Ford employees. The Centre is based at the site of the nearby Vsevolozhsk Agricultural College and is available for use by the local community and other manufacturing companies in the region.

Ford's 52 main and service dealers in Russia sold 4,124 vehicles in 2001, including 2,360 Focus, 1,017 Mondeos and 333 Transits. This represents an increase of 204 per cent over the 1,351 vehicles sold in 2000. The Russian car market was 1.3 million cars in 2001 and is dominated by local producers. Ford took 5.3 per cent of the import market, which stood at 78,500 units in 2001.

Ford has had a long association with Russia, appointing its first dealer in 1907. Sales of cars, trucks and tractors were so successful that a plant was established in Nizhny Novgorod, which began production of the Model AA in 1930. Ford pioneered the automotive industry in Russia with the establishment of the Nizhny Novgorod plant, which is now the home for the second largest car manufacturer in Russia, Gorkovsky Avtomobilniy Zavod (GAZ).

(July 9, 2002)

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