Ford Otosan Opens New Assembly Plant in Turkey
Thursday marked the official kick-off of production at Ford Otosan, the Turkish joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding. The new assembly plant—located in Yeniköy, Turkey—was built in a mere 16 months and was the recipient of a $511 million endowment.
The plant’s opening ceremony was attended by Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford and Ali Y. Koç, Board Member, Koç Holding and Chairman, Ford Otosan; as well as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; Rahmi Koç, Honorary President, Koç Holding, Mustafa Koç, Chairman, Koç Holding; and numerous senior government and local officials.
“Ford Otosan is one of the longest-lasting and most successful joint ventures in the global auto industry and today marks another great milestone in this partnership,” said Bill Ford. “This new plant is a testament to the drive and commitment of the men and women of Ford Otosan, and our success will continue to grow as we move forward together.”
The 70,000 square meter plant is the third Ford Otosan plant in the country and was built adjacent to the Kocaeli vehicle assembly plant. The Yeniköy plant will be responsible for producing the Ford Transit Courier small commercial vehicle and Ford Tourneo Courier.
Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford
The Ford Otosan joint venture has been going strong for more than half a century and represents a relationship between Ford and Koç Holding that spans nearly a full century.
“Today is another milestone in the history of Ford Otosan in its 55th year of partnership between Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding,” said Ali Y. Koç. “Ford Otosan has been given the responsibility for producing two all-new vehicles for the completely refreshed Ford commercial vehicle and people-mover range and which will compete in growing market segments and be built in a brand new plant. This is a great opportunity to grow and prosper in the future.
“The new Courier models were developed by 500 engineers in our R&D centre, which employs 1,300 skilled engineers. The vehicles also will help to support the Turkish supplier industry and provide new opportunities for export.”
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