After General Motors another US auto major – Ford Motors – is winding up its operations in the state.
The company has announced it is closing down its manufacturing plant in Sanand. The move is set to affect the livelihood of nearly 4,000 people. In its official release, Ford Motors said it will close both plants at Chennai and Sanand.
Seated inside a kiosk just outside Gate No:1 of a deserted Ford Motors’ car and engine manufacturing plant at Sanand, Manjula Darbar (50) cut a lonely picture. It is a little after 5 pm when the shift at the plant usually ended and workers streamed out. But on Thursday evening, hours after Ford Motors announced it was to wind down manufacturing of vehicles for export at Sanand, all was quiet.
The main reason is difficult market conditions and incurring losses.The Gujarat plant, which is a manufacturing unit for export of vehicles, will shut down in the fourth quarter of 2021. The Chennai plant which is a manufacturer of engines will shut down in the second quarter of 2022.
The company, which invested about $2.5 billion at its Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Sanand (Gujarat) plants, will stop selling vehicles such as the EcoSport, Figo and Aspire produced at these plants.
Ford has been struggling for years to make a mark in India’s automotive market. Ford India has an installed manufacturing capacity of 6,10,000 engines and 4,40,000 vehicles a year.