Ford considers producing electric drivetrains in the UK or Germany

A few days ago, we learned from overseas media that Ford Motor Company is considering choosing one of the two European transmission plants to produce electric transmission systems. The two competing plants are the Hellwood plant in the UK and the Cologne plant in Germany. Ford’s final decision may be It will depend on the intensity of the subsidies from the two governments.

　　It is reported that Ford has negotiated with officials of the British Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on the subsidy of the British Halewood plant. A person familiar with the matter said that the winning plant will be responsible for the production of Ford's "electric drivetrain", including electric motors, transmissions and inverters for electric vehicles.

It is still unclear whether the bid-winning factory produces and assembles the parts by itself, or buys the parts from the parts supplier and then assembles the parts by the factory. Initially, these two plants were established by Ford and German Getrag Group (Getrag) joint venture, but now these two plants are wholly owned by Ford.

　　Ford's Cologne transmission plant in Germany is adjacent to Ford's car plant, which currently produces Fiesta small hatchbacks. Ford's German factory will use Volkswagen's MEB electric platform to produce pure electric vehicles for the European market. The first electric model produced by the factory is the Volkswagen ID.4 compact crossover launched in 2023, and the second electric model may also be launched in 2023.