- Ford Motor Company South Africa this week announced that it would investing a further R5.2 billion in its Silverton Assembly Plant.
- The investment will focus on the production of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles at the facility.
- The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, has welcomed the announcement.
This week Ford held an event at its Silverton Assembly Plant to detail upcoming plans in terms of new vehicles it will be bringing to South Africa over the coming year.
While the prospect of new models from Ford is indeed exciting, a more worthwhile announcement came as Ford Motor Company South Africa confirmed that it would be investing a further R5.2 billion in its Silverton Assembly Plant.
The investment will be focused mainly on upgrading the facility to better handle the production of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs), which falls under the Ford+ initiative that has prioritised the uptake of greener technologies and solutions.
The Silverton Assembly Plant has been on a greener push for a few years now, having recently spun up a massive solar power installation to not only assist with persistent loadshedding, but also to augment the plant’s power needs. As of May last year, it was running on 35 percent solar power.
With government actively looking to make South Africa look more attractive to investors, this latest announcement has obviously been welcomed.
“We commend Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa for their commitment to embracing cleaner energy solutions. This initiative not only supports our national efforts to combat climate change but also positions South Africa as a key player in the global shift towards sustainable transportation,” Minister Ebrahim Patel noted in a statement.
“We look forward to collaborating closely with Ford to establish the PHEV facility at the Silverton plant in Gauteng. This partnership will contribute to the future sustainability of the automotive sector and create a cleaner, greener environment for all,” he added per SA News.
As for when we’ll start seeing more Ford hybrids and EVs on the road, remains to be seen.
