Ford India has laid the foundation stone for its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, to be set up at a 460-acre plant site in Sanand. The plant will commence operations in 2014, with a production capacity of 2,40,000 units and 2,70,000 engines per year for both domestic and export markets.

The event saw Michael Boneham, president & MD, Ford India, joined by Maheswar Sahu, Industry Secretary, Government of Gujarat and Felix Guillen, Ford's executive director of manufacturing for Asia Pacific & Africa, recognize the critical role of the company’s new facility.

“We lay the foundation for Ford’s continued expansion in India, and plant the seed for a brighter future for our employees, suppliers, dealers and customers, and for the people of Gujarat and India," said Boneham.

The new assembly plant will be fully integrated to support stamping, body assembly, paint, trim and final assembly. The paint shop will utilize Ford’s environmentally friendly rotational dip technology and 3-Wet technology paint processes that will further improve paint quality and durability. Ford also claims it will reduce the levels of the Volatile Organic Compounds, CO2 emissions and waste.

With the new one-billion-dollar plant, Ford’s total investment in India to date is approximately two billion dollars, an amount that is expected to grow with the completion of the Sanand facility in 2014.

As part of its continuing aggressive strategy to compete in the India automobile market, Ford has announced that it will bring eight new vehicles to India by mid-decade, the all-new Fiesta being the first step.