Three years after announcing the closure of its local factory, Ford Motor Company has begun talking about reentering the third-largest auto market in the world by producing electric cars at its Tamil Nadu facility in southern India. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T.R.B. Rajaa stated that Ford has not yet decided what it will produce in India. But he made a suggestion that it might be electric cars.
Rajaa stated, “If trends are to be believed, investors who have entered Tamil Nadu in recent years have brought their EV lines.” “They are aware that the ecosystem is prime, and that’s also the topic of the discussions.”
Ford is the most recent in a line of domestic and international automakers investing billions of dollars to establish factories in Tamil Nadu, including VinFast Auto Ltd. of Vietnam and Tata Motors Ltd. Ford sent a letter of intent to the Tamil Nadu state government in mid-September, announcing plans to use the plant for exports.
This initiative is in line with India’s aims to increase EV manufacturing in the most populated country in the world. The federal government reduced import duties for international automakers earlier this year in exchange for their $500 million commitment to make investments in the nation. Tamil Nadu has risen to prominence by positioning itself as India’s hub for EV manufacturing.