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Ford Otosan, Ford Motor Company's global commercial vehicle center in Europe, started production for the new Courier range - Ford Transit Courier and Tourneo Courier, for which it took over engineering and production responsibilities, in a ceremony held on Tuesday at the plant in Craiova.
The ceremony was hosted by the general manager of Ford Otosan, Güven Ozyurt, by Josephine Payne, deputy director of Ford Otosan and by Mujdat Tiryaki, chairman of Ford Otosan Craiova, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu and many officials, industry representatives and prominent personalities from the business world.
During the ceremony, Ford Otosan General Manager Guven Ozyurt said that the Courier range is of great importance to the company which, for almost a decade, has been responsible for the global production of these models, as vehicles bearing the Ford Otosan signature, starting from design to production.
"Being the ideal combination between performance and functionality, the Courier range has greatly contributed to our position as a leader in commercial vehicles. I am proud of the fact that the Courier range is the first range of vehicles that Ford Otosan starts producing at our factory in Craiova. The capabilities state-of-the-art production equipment of the factory in Craiova are complemented by Ford Otosan's experience in design, engineering and production. The new Transit Courier and Tourneo Courier, along with our investments, are proof of the trust we have in Craiova and in Romania. They are on fully confident in the success that the new Courier range will have and I am convinced that it will set new records," General Manager Guven Ozyurt said.
The General Manager for Europe of Ford Pro, Hans Schep, said that the new Courier range launched in Craiova marks a new achievement for Ford Pro in Europe. "The start of production of the new Courier range at the Craiova plant marks an important moment for the Ford Pro commercial vehicle division in Europe and represents an important stage in our mission to create essential products for customers," said Hans Schep.
Levent Cakyroolu, general manager of Ford Otosan co-owner Koc Holding, highlighted that Ford Otosan represents the solid partnership based on mutual trust between Koc Holding and Ford Motor Company and continues to be a pioneer, produce and create value. "Ford has always considered Ford Otosan a benchmark, due to its attention to quality, efficiency and flexibility. Today we have an outstanding product that represents a solid proof of the success of Ford Otosan and our employees, both in Kocaeli and Craiova. Ford Otosan is the only production location of the Courier range Ford Otosan is the only production center in the world for the Courier range, which was first assembled at the Yenikoy plant in 2014. As part of Ford Otosan's investment strategy, the production of the Courier range was moved from the Yenikoy plant to the plant in Craiova, Romania," said Cakyroolu.
Designed together by the Ford Otosan and Ford teams, developed and produced by Ford Otosan, the new models of the Courier range (Transit Courier and Tourneo Courier) will also have fully electric versions, which will be produced in Craiova in 2024. The E-Transit Courier will represented an important milestone for Ford Otosan in achieving its goal of having a portfolio of fully electric commercial vehicles by 2035.
