The car manufacturer Ford has been at home in NRW since 1930. Now the company has ushered in a new era with the conversion of its traditional Cologne-Niehl site. With the inauguration of the "Electric Vehicle Center," the US automaker celebrated its transformation to electric mobility in Europe. In addition to Ford Executive Chairman William Clay Ford Jr., German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst also attended at the inauguration of the modernized plant.
The automaker invested $2 billion to convert the plant to Europe's first all-electric manufacturing facility. At the same time, it will be Ford's first carbon-neutral assembly plant. With an annual production capacity of 250,000 electric vehicles, the company wants to strengthen its own position in Europe from its base in NRW and take advantage of the good conditions for e-car manufacturers at the location.
The first all-electric model from Cologne will be the Explorer SUV based on VW's modular e-drive system (MEB). On the other hand, Ford in Cologne has said goodbye to the well-known "Fiesta" model. The last of the series rolled off the production line in early July. Now, according to the company, tests are on the agenda to prepare for mass production of the new electric model, which will begin at the end of the year. The first deliveries are expected in early 2024, with a second model to follow.
