Production of the Ford Transit van at Southampton is likely to be halved with the introduction of the next-generation model in 2011.
Unions are currently considering proposals from Ford that reduce the plant to building Transit chassis-cab variants only, cutting annual production from the current 75,000 to around 35,000.
“The market for cars and commercial vehicles is intense and it is vital that Ford vehicles and locations remain cost competitive,” the company’s statement said.
If the proposal comes to fruition it will mark another decline in Ford’s UK production, coming less than a decade after car production ended at the Dagenham plant.
The Ford Transit is the only vehicle that the company currently builds in Britain, although engines are manufactured in Bridgend and Dagenham.
The Transit is also built at Ford’s Otosan Kocaeli plant in Turkey. Under the company’s proposals, this factory will build all the other Transit variants from 2011. It is cheaper and more cost effective to build vehicles in Turkey than in the UK.
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Re: Ford Transit production halved
Trust me the new Maxus is NOTHING like the old LDV's. If it had have been then I would never have bught one.
Re: Ford Transit production halved
Having driven Transits and the previous LDV, I wouldn't go near the latter at any price if it was my choice.
Re: Ford Transit production halved
I was under the impression that they were still selling okay in their other markets, although admittedly still down due to the global economic issues.
Unfortunately, I don't think any company is going to be immune to laying people off if the world economy continues the way it is. Just have to hope scandal or not that the Russian billionaires continue to bank roll the company and keep the people in work.