Ford reveals £125m Halewood electric vehicle parts plant boost

Ford has announced plans to massively increase its production of components for electric cars in a move that will safeguard 500 jobs on Merseyside.

The £125m investment - boosted by the government's Automotive Transformation Fund - in the Halewood plant brings the US car giant's spending there to £380m.

Ford said it was stepping up its plans to electrify its range of models.

The plant will begin making electric power units in 2024. Testing and prototype building have already begun.

Kieran Cahill, Ford's European Industrial Operations vice-president, said: "Our vision in Europe is to build a thriving business by extending leadership in commercial vehicles and through the electrification of our car range.

"Halewood is playing a critical part as our first in-house investment in [electric vehicle] component manufacturing in Europe."

The additional investment will see the factory's capacity rise from 230,000 units to 420,000 a year.

It also means 70% of the 600,000 electric vehicles that Ford plans to sell by 2026 will be powered by Halewood.

Ford will also invest a further £24m into the E:PRiME (Electrified Powertrain in Manufacturing Engineering) development centre, based in Dunton, Essex.