China's Geely expands Europe footprint with Ford Valencia plant deal
Geely has agreed to acquire part of Ford’s Almussafes plant in Valencia, Spain, and plans to produce one of its own models there, with the possibility of manufacturing a Ford vehicle as well, News.Az reports, citing JustAuto.
According to unnamed industry sources, Geely has reached an agreement to purchase the Body 3 assembly hall at the Almussafes site.
The reported deal would allow Geely to establish vehicle production operations independently, without sharing a supply chain with Ford.
The move comes after broader negotiations involving Geely over shared vehicle technologies, which Reuters first reported in February.
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The Body 3 facility was originally built for production based on Ford’s CD4 platform and previously assembled the Mondeo, Galaxy, and S-Max models after Ford closed its Genk plant in Belgium in 2014.
The facility is currently inactive, while Ford’s Kuga model is mainly produced on Body 2 lines at the same plant.
Geely plans to manufacture a multi-energy vehicle internally codenamed “135” in Valencia, using its Global Intelligent Electric Architecture (GEA) modular platform.
The model is expected to be offered in self-charging hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric versions.
According to the sources, discussions are also ongoing about the potential production of a Ford vehicle based on the same GEA platform.
Geely has already begun contacting suppliers in the Valencia region regarding production of the model, and approval for the project is reportedly at an advanced stage.
La Tribuna de Automoción also noted that the model under consideration could be the Geely EX2, which would be marketed in Europe as the E2.
The compact SUV is 4.13 meters long and is equipped with a 114 hp electric motor and a 39.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, offering a WLTP range of up to 325 km.
By Nijat Babayev
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