Ford to invest $446 million to build new global vehicle in Brazil

Ford Motor Company announced that it will invest 800 million reals ($446 million) to build a new global model in its Sao Bernardo do Campo plant.

Marcos de Oliveira, president of Ford Brazil and South America, didn’t give any further details about the new model, saying only that the investment will be for the „production of a new global vehicle.” Located near the city of Sao Paolo, the Sao Bernardo do Campo plant currently produces the Ka, Courier and F-250 models and has an annual production capacity of 160,000 cars and light commercial vehicles and 40,000 heavy-duty trucks.

According to reports from Brazil, the new global vehicle may prove to be the Ka successor and will be inspired by the Ford Start Concept, which debuted at the 2010 Beijing auto show. The new global vehicle is expected to launch somewhere between the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014.

The new Ka should use the new 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost gasoline engine, also to be built at the Brazilian plant. The car is part of the company’s „One Ford” strategy, which aims at a global lineup of Ford vehicles. So far, the new Fiesta, Focus and Escape are the first models launched under this strategy.

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• Ford GT with 1,000HP crashed in Brazil
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• Thai floods damaged Ford’s 2011 profits
• Romania: Ford B-MAX starts at EUR13,400
• Recall roundup: 2012 Ford Focus
• Ohio to announce tax breaks for Ford
• Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera crashed in Brazil