Ford Cologne Electrification Center Europe

Ford has announced a $1 billion investment to expand its Cologne vehicle manufacturing facility into the Ford Cologne Electrification Center. The announcement was made earlier this year at a press conference attended by Stuart Rowley, President Ford Europe, Gunnar Herrmann, Chairman of the Management Board of Ford-Werke, as well as Armin Laschet, Minister President of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The e-mobility race

German Economics Minister Peter Altmaier congratulated the Cologne-based company with a video message, saying that, "Ford looks back on a long and successful history in Germany. This investment in environmentally friendly and thus future-proof mobility lays another important foundation stone for success in the coming decades."

According to current plans, Ford's new battery-electric volume model will start rolling off the production line in Cologne as early as 2024. At the same time, the automaker is examining the possibility of producing a second purely electric vehicle in Cologne, the technical development of which will also take place at Ford's European development center in Cologne-Merkenich.

A forward-looking decision

"We are making the investment in expanding the Cologne plant into our center for electric mobility in Europe at a time when the automotive industry globally is undergoing the greatest transformation in its history," said Gunnar Herrmann, Chairman of the Management Board of Ford-Werke GmbH. "The successful transformation of our business over the last two years was the prerequisite for making this forward-looking decision for Ford's Cologne site."