Yeni Safak – Ford Otosan, the joint venture between Ford Motor Company of USA and Türkiye’s Koc Holding, has commissioned a new engine test facility at its Inonu plant in the Central Anatolian province of Eskisehir. The first of its kind in Türkiye, the facility will handle heavy engines of over 13 liters of capacity and will play a vital role in the design, development and endurance testing of the company’s Ecotorq engines, in use in Ford’s new-generation Cargo heavy trucks.
Stating that Ford Otosan had invested heavily in research and development in Türkiye, the company’s Director General Haydar Yenigun said that they were among leaders in terms of patent applications with 436 filings. “Ford Otosan has Turkish automotive industry’s largest technology and R&D base and the third largest in Ford’s global network”, Yenigun said at the opening ceremony of the new facility, adding that the company employed over 1,300 personnel in R&D operations.
The company’s Golcuk Engine Test Facility in Kocaeli province was awarded the “Engine Test Facility of the Year” by Automotive Testing Technology International Magazine last year.
Ford Otosan manufactures commercial vehicles of various sizes and types in Türkiye, including a heavy truck, for world markets. The company inaugurated its third manufacturing plant in Türkiye in May, increasing its production capacity in the country to 415,000 motor vehicles.