Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) announced yesterday that their Struandale engine plant will be increasing production capacity of the Duratorq TDCi diesel engine to cater for new demand from the North American market.
The locally produced 3.2-litre, 5-cylinder, Duratorq turbo-diesel engine, which powers the Ford Ranger, will be used in the Ford Transit van when it joins Ford’s North American product line-up for the first time in 2013. The Transit is Europe’s best-selling commercial vehicle and the company expects it to prove popular on home soil too, where it will be sold with the 3.2-litre ‘Power Stroke’ diesel as it will be known.
“The expansion of our Duratorq TDCi production capacity for North America is an exceptionally proud and important achievement for Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa, as it’s the first time we will be exporting engines to the United States,” said Jeff Nemeth, FMCSA president and CEO.
“The addition of the Duratorq TDCi engine production for North America is in line with our focus on leveraging existing capacity and offering global flexibility, as part of the One Ford strategy,” stated Satya Banda, Plant Manager of the Struandale Engine Plant. “The expansion programme will see new equipment being added to the current machining and assembly lines, without affecting our current production and global export programme for the Duratorq TDCi engine that powers the New Ranger.”
The Duratorq TDCi will be exported to Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, which received a US$1.1-billion investment for the Transit programme. US-market Transit production is scheduled to begin in late 2013.
Source: Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa
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