Akşam – Ford Otosan, the joint venture between the Ford Motor Company and Turkey’s Koç Holding, inaugurated the production of the first Turkish-engineered and built heavy truck engine in a ceremony held at its İnönü plant in Eskişehir, central Anatolia.
The engine is a third-generation Ecotorq and will be exported to world markets from Turkey in Ford Cargo trucks, also manufactured in the İnönü plant. Also an export product by itself, the engine will also power other Ford heavy trucks manufactured elsewhere.
Attended by Turkey’s Minister of Science, Industry, and Technology Fikri Işık, Koç Holding Chairman Ali Koç, high-ranking government officials and company executives, the ceremony also marked the outcome of the USD 100 million investment by Ford Otosan in the Ecotorq engine. Designed by Ford Otosan engineers in Turkey from the ground up, all property rights of the new engine are owned by Ford Otosan.
Minister Işık said that Turkey’s automotive industry has added expertise and engineering services to its export portfolio. “A total of 69 patent applications were made during the development of Ford Otosan’s Ecotorq engine. Ford Otosan is the only company in Ford’s global network that designs and develops diesel engines for heavy commercial vehicles. These engines will also be manufactured in China, under license from Ford Otosan, to be used in JMC brand trucks,” he said, adding that Turkey had become an exporter of R&D services.
Ford Otosan Chairman Koç praised Turkey’s investment incentives and the government’s strong backing for investors. “Our government is highly supportive of our industry. Investment incentives in effect today are the most comprehensive in Turkey’s history,” Koç said.
Ford Otosan produced 334,622 commercial vehicles of various sizes and types in Turkey last year. The joint venture lifted Ford to the top position in Europe’s commercial vehicles market by exporting 253,644 vehicles, mostly to European markets, in 2015. The company manufactures various configurations of Transit, Custom, Tourneo commercial vehicles and Cargo trucks in its three plants in Turkey.
The İnönü plant is one of Ford’s two truck plants worldwide and manufactures 15,000 Cargo trucks and 80,000 truck engines per year. The facility also houses one of Ford Otosan’s three R&D centers in Turkey along with those at Gölcük and Sancaktepe.