MEDIA

Ford Otosan, undertakes comprehensive investments to transform the automotive ecosystem in line with its future vision, inaugurated its Yeniköy plant, which underwent a redesign with sustainable, digital, and efficient solutions, with a ceremony on November 4, 2023.
The opening ceremony of the plant was attended by President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Assoc. Dr. Tahir Büyükakın, Koç Holding Chairman Ömer M. Koç, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding and Chairman of Ford Otosan Ali Y. Koç, Ford Pro Europe General Manager Hans Schep, Koç Holding CEO Levent Çakıroğlu, Koç Holding Automotive Group President Haydar Yenigün, Ford Otosan General Manager Güven Özyurt and Ford Otosan Executive Vice President Josephine Payne, as well as Kocaeli local protocol.
The reconstruction of the Yeniköy plant is a crucial part of Ford Otosan's €2 billion vision project, the largest investment of the Turkish private sector to date, announced in 2021, driven by the mission to lead the electric transformation of the automotive industry. The Yeniköy Plant reflects Ford Otosan's innovation and its commitment to establishing itself as Ford's commercial vehicle production base in Europe, showcasing its engineering and manufacturing strengths on the global stage. 
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: We are confident that Ford Otosan will continue to be our country's flagship.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, says: "This plant in Yeniköy, which is a reflection of the engineering and production strength of the world brand Ford, deserves the title of the plant of the future with its many pioneering features. This facility, which will make a significant contribution to the production and export power of our country, stands out with its ability to manufacture both internal combustion and electric vehicles. Yeniköy, the plant of the future, will host the manufacturing of the new generation Transit Custom, as well as the electric Transit and Volkswagen's one-ton commercial vehicle. I hope that the new version of Ford Transit Custom, Europe's best-selling van, will be beneficial to customers in our country and around the world. Ford Otosan continues to be the pride of the automotive industry." 
Erdoğan states: " We are proud to see Ford light commercial cars and parts produced in Türkiye being used in 94 countries across the world. I also would like to congratulate Ford Otosan, which reached a total export figure of 6.2 billion dollars last year and maintained its title as the export champion of the automotive sector, for this success. The fact that we have risen from 15th to 13th place in the world ranking in automotive production in 5 years shows that we are moving in the right direction. As Türkiye, we are on our way to having a rapidly developing electric vehicle market with the interest triggered by the launch of the Togg. Our goal is to make our country one of the world's leading players in electric vehicle and battery production. We are closely following the moves made by Ford Otosan, especially in electric vehicle production. We believe that the step taken by Ford Otosan with the E-Transit, which rolled off the assembly line at the Kocaeli plant in 2022, will be continued. We have no doubt that Ford Otosan will continue to be the flagship of our country in electric vehicle production and sales. We will continue to support Ford Otosan. Ford Otosan's actions, such as the investment we announced here today, are examples of the Turkish Century's early fruits.”     
Known as ‘the plant of the future,' Yeniköy will enhance the competitiveness of Ford Otosan, the automotive ecosystem in Türkiye, and boost export potential through its contributions to technological advancements and sustainability. Additionally, depending on the increase in vehicle production, the relocation of suppliers to the region will stimulate growth in the sub-industry sector and create employment opportunities.  
Ali Y. Koç, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding and Chairman of Ford Otosan, emphasized that Ford Otosan, the symbol of the deep-rooted partnership between Koç Group and Ford Motor Company, continues to achieve 'firsts' and create value with a future-oriented vision since the day it was founded, and says: "As we enter the second century of our Republic, we are taking our Yeniköy plant, which we call the 'Plant of the Future', into service by quadrupling its size and further modernizing it. This new generation plant, which we are inaugurating on our Republic’s 100th anniversary, represents the beginning of a brand-new era in terms of industrial excellence standards. It will reinforce our position as 'Europe's leading electric commercial vehicle manufacturer'. In addition to the enormous added value it will create directly, what excites us the most is that it will improve our supply ecosystem, thus further enhancing the global competitiveness of Türkiye's automotive supply industry and Türkiye's automotive ecosystem and serving beyond our borders. For the brighter future of Türkiye, Koç Group will continue to say, 'If my country exists, so do I'.  
Stating that Ford Otosan is the most important proof of what can be achieved in the sphere of industry when the state and the private sector work hand in hand, Ali Y. Koç continues, "We were able to attract these strategic investments to our country thanks to the facilities, support and generous incentives provided by our government. I would like to express our sincere gratitude to our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has always been a part of this journey, as well as to our esteemed Ministers and the valuable officials of our state institutions. We can realize these investments thanks to your belief in our future vision."  
Ford Pro Europe General Manager Hans Schep says: "The Yeniköy Plant is a milestone in our commercial vehicle operations in Europe, representing an extremely critical step in our path to achieve our Ford Pro objectives. We will manufacture the Transit Custom family, which has led Ford to be the commercial vehicle leader in Europe for the past eight years, as well as the latest and fully electric versions, using the quality, advanced technology, and maximum economy provided by this particular facility."
Ford Otosan Yeniköy Plant: Transit series’ sole manufacturing hub in Europe
Ford Otosan’s Kocaeli Plants is the sole production center in Europe for the Transit family, which has been Europe's and Türkiye's best-selling commercial vehicle for years, and the only producer of the Transit Custom in the world.
The plant manufactures the new generation Transit and Tourneo Custom, offering enhanced efficiency and performance through innovative features and smart technologies. The upcoming additions to the new generation Custom family will include the fully electric E-Transit Custom in 2024.  In addition to that as part of the Ford-Volkswagen strategic alliance, Ford Otosan will also manufacture Volkswagen's next-generation 1-ton commercial vehicle.
Yeniköy Plant will expand its capacity to 405,000 units in 2025 to produce the next generation of 1-ton vehicles. 
Güven Özyurt: We see the Yeniköy plant as a gateway to entire automotive ecosystem’s future
Ford Otosan General Manager Güven Özyurt pointed out that the company has been the transformative power of the automotive industry for more than 60 years by adopting all the principles of the Republic as its compass and conducting all its activities with a focus on contributing to the country and says, "We are growing together with the automotive ecosystem and suppliers in our country with our future-oriented investments. Today, our Kocaeli facilities, Europe's largest commercial vehicle base, are the most tangible manifestation of our vision to shape the future through smart factory and sustainability practices.  In the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we are proud to inaugurate the Yeniköy Plant, which we see as a gateway to the future of the automotive ecosystem with new generation vehicles, where innovation and progress come together."
Sustainability Breakthrough: Efficiency solutions used for the first time in Türkiye and the Ford world
Determining its long-term sustainability goals to transform the automotive ecosystem with the vision of ‘Future. Now’ and deliberate stride toward 'carbon neutrality', Ford Otosan makes a tangible impact through innovative, eco-friendly, and energy-efficient practices at the Yeniköy plant. Yeniköy stands out for pioneering practices, a first among Ford facilities and within Türkiye’s automotive industry. 
‘The Photovoltaic Glass Wall’, installed on the front façade of the plant, the first in the Turkish automotive sector and among Ford factories, converts solar energy into electricity to fulfill a significant portion of the Yeniköy plant's energy requirements. Ford Otosan reduces electricity consumption by using the renewable electricity generated by 'Photovoltaic Glass' on the side façade and solar panels on the roofs for building lighting. 'Solar Tracking Systems' technology, another innovative application, ensures that production areas benefit from maximum daylight. The heating need in the production area is supported by the 'Solar Walls' system, reducing natural gas consumption.