Romania ?? is preparing to join the list of countries producing electric cars

Starting from 2024, Ford Otosan will come with three full-electric models, the future Ford Puma Electric, E-Transit & E-Tourneo Courier. Dacia at Mioveni already produces two "full-hybrid" cars - the Dacia Jogger, launched in production in 2023, and the new Duster, with the same propulsion system.

For the first time in the history of the Romanian car industry, starting this year three electric cars and two full-hybrid cars will be produced on the local market, considering both the demand for cars with low emissions.

Ford Otosan Craiova started in October 2023 the production of the new Transit Courier, first with gasoline and diesel engines and from the third quarter of this year, the E-Transit and E-Tourneo Courier, the electric versions of the commercial vehicle, will follow. In total, the plant in Romania will produce by the end of 2024 a range composed of six models - Puma with internal combustion engine and electric Puma, the new Transit Courier and E-Transit Courier, but also the Tourneo Courier - the passenger version of Transit Courier and its electric version.

With the new models come new suppliers, the South Korean manufacturer SK will deliver the batteries for the E-Transit Courier from Hungary to Craiova. SK Innovation announced in 2021 an investment of 2.3 billion euros in Hungary in the production of batteries for electric cars.

Josephine Payne, current deputy general manager of Ford Otosan declared in April 2023, when she was president of Ford Otosan Romania, explaining that beyond Pitesti-Sibiu, the plant needs a fast connection to the west, such as the Craiova-Lugoj highway , which allows both the rapid import of parts and the export of cars, in the context where the Craiova plant is the second largest exporter in Romania.

Ford Otosan took over the Ford factory in Craiova in July 2022 and is currently the largest producer of commercial vehicles in Europe and also one of the largest producers of passenger cars at the European level, with new generations of vehicles that will be produced in the four factories of the company, from two countries (Turkey and Romania).

To support the launch of the next generation of the Courier model and the engineering processes of this model, Ford Otosan announced in 2022 an investment of 490 million euros at the factory in Craiova, which will be implemented between 2022 and 2024, but also the recruitment of 1300 new employees.