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Transit Connect - first car model built by Ford in Craiova

Craiova – Ford Company has officially taken over Automobile Craiova on Friday, March 21. The documents regarding the transfer of Automobile Craiova’s ownership rights have been signed by Sebastian Vladescu and Lyle Watters, in the presence of President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and John Fleming, Ford Europe’s director.

The American company had paid the sum of EUR 57 M for 72.4 per cent of the Automobile Craiova shares as early as Wednesday evening, with the transfer of shares taking place on the same day. Regarding the sum of EUR 27 M, considered by the European Commission to be state aid illegally offered to the Automobile company, the AVAS officials have pointed out that the payment deadline is yet to be established. Ford Transit Connect, a light commercial vehicle, will be the first car model produced by Ford in Craiova, with the model set to be launched in Romania in mid-2009, a year that will register the sale of 30,000 units, John Fleming, Ford Europe’s general director, has stated on Friday. In 2010 the Craiova plant will launch a small sized vehicle that will be sold in the local market and exported to Europe. The Craiova plant will be the exclusive producer of this model, Fleming has stated. The new small class model will aim for a niche that remains currently unexploited, Ford Europe’s general director has stated. ‘There have been a lot of speculations, both in Romania and elsewhere, regarding the first vehicle that will be built here. Allow me to put an end to these speculations, by announcing that starting next year we will produce here in Craiova the much-awarded Transit Connect’ John Fleming stated. President Traian Basescu has stated on Friday that the Ford investment in Craiova will have an ‘extraordinary’ impact for the whole of the Romanian economy. ‘The figures that I have seen are impressive. Four years from now the plant will produce 300,000 vehicles per year. You can imagine the difference, considering that during the plant’s heyday 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles per year had been produced. The impact will be extraordinary for Romania’ Traian Basescu has underlined. President Traian Basescu has added, in front of over a hundred employees of the Craiova car plant, that whoever will win the ‘giant’ internal competition between two large companies, Ford and Renault, will also win in the global car market. At the same time, President Traian Basescu has criticized the fact that the annexes of Automobile’s privatization contract, annexes dealing with the wages of the Romanian representatives within the Administration Council or with Ford’s environment investments, are classified. In turn, Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu has stated that Ford’s plans for Automobile Craiova provision bringing suppliers of car components and spare parts, something that will represent a guarantee for maintaining the number of jobs. Premier Tariceanu has thanked Traian Basescu for attending the ceremony that marked Ford’s takeover of Automobile Craiova, considering that thus he has finally understood that the first registration tax is useful and does not represent a personal ambition. In reply, the Head of State has told the Prime Minister that he does not know how important the first registration tax is and how much it has helped Ford, but that it has surely helped Citroen: ‘I do not know how the first registration tax has helped Ford until now, but for now Citroen is strongly protected’. Tariceanu returned to the podium and stated that the road construction companies that are ‘friendly’ to the Head of State are hiking their turnover on a yearly basis by winning bids at twice as high prices. On the other hand, Teodor Atanasiu, the president of the State Asset Resolution Authority (AVAS), has stated at the end of last week, in Alba Iulia, that the privatisation of Automobile Craiova and Ford Company’s investment can be considered ‘Romania’s second industrialisation, one based on free market principles’. Atanasiu has stated that Ford’s investment makes Romania one of the most important car industry producers in Europe. He explained that the investment in Craiova will draw four times as many employees to the suppliers’ plants, the latter set to come along with Ford Company. Sursa: http://www.nineoclock.ro

Tags: craiova basescu traian europe romania plant stated president automobile first connect car model company transit

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