Ford Officials Meet Tamilnadu CM MK Stalin: Aim To Restart Production At Chennai Factory

Good news for Ford admirers: the company could soon be making its comeback to India. Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin met with Ford officials in the United States of America. It has been reported that they had talks on the possibility of restarting its manufacturing operations in India. The talks were held particularly for Ford’s return to its Chennai plant in Tamil Nadu. Now, although this is good news, there is a small catch.

Had a very engaging discussion with the team from @Ford Motors! Explored the feasibility of renewing Ford’s three decade partnership with Tamil Nadu, to again make in Tamil Nadu for the world!@TRBRajaa @Guidance_TN @TNIndMin #InvestInTN #ThriveInTN #LeadWithTN #DravidianModel pic.twitter.com/J2SbFUs8vv

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) September 11, 2024

M.K. Stalin’s Discussion With Ford

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, recently shared a post on X. In this post, he stated, “Had a very engaging discussion with the team from @Ford Motors! Explored the feasibility of renewing Ford’s three-decade partnership with Tamil Nadu, to again make in Tamil Nadu for the world!”

In the pictures, M.K. Stalin can be seen shaking hands with the Ford executives. Another picture shared shows the Chief Minister handing over an artifact to Ford officials. It has been reported that during his 17-day trip to the U.S., the Tamil Nadu CM was attracting foreign investments for his state.

What’s the catch?

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, as mentioned, had an extensive conversation with Ford’s leadership team. Now, the catch in the talks with Ford is that M.K. Stalin has approached them to start their manufacturing plants to produce vehicles and engines for export.

In his tweet, he emphasized “Make in Tamil Nadu for the world.” With this, Stalin aims to position Tamil Nadu as a global manufacturing hub for Ford Motor Company. As we all know, Ford had shut its Chennai plant in 2021 after exiting the Indian market.

The Tamil Nadu state government and M.K. Stalin are both actively exploring alternatives for utilizing the facility. The company’s plant in Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai, remains closed at the moment. However, it now seems that Ford could restart this plant to produce vehicles for export.

What does it mean for Indian Ford lovers?

Now, although the talks are currently for Ford to start production for export vehicles and engines, experts believe that this could still be very good news for Indian Ford lovers. It is believed that if Ford starts production in the Chennai plant, we can get the Ford Endeavour via the CKD route.

The company could import the CKD kits for the Ford Endeavour in India and then produce them to sell in the country. Also, if the sales numbers increase, most likely Ford will consider a complete return to India with brand-new India-specific models.

Role of EVs

It is being reported that one of the key topics of discussion between CM Stalin and Ford officials was the possibility of using the Chennai plant to manufacture electric and hybrid vehicles for the global market. Reports from earlier in the year indicated that Ford was already considering using the Chennai facility for EV production.

Ford Endeavour Spotted Testing in India

Over the last few months, a few test mules of the newest generation of Ford Endeavour have been spotted testing in the country. It is believed that the company is currently planning to bring this model via the CBU route for sale in India. Currently, the most popular SUV in the full-size SUV segment is the Toyota Fortuner.

Many believe that only the Endeavour can challenge the Fortuner in India. Apart from this, there are also reports suggesting that the company could be launching a mid-size SUV in India to rival the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, and other prominent SUVs in this very popular segment.

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