US automobile giant Ford Motor Company on Wednesday said it was seriously considering expanding production of its fuel-efficient hybrid car.
A delegation from Ford, which was led by its chairman and CEO William Clay Ford Jr., called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and shared with her the company's plans to overcome the fuel crisis by ramping up production of its hybrid car, which has been rolled out in the US market, an official statement said.
The company also informed her of specific plans to expand Ford's manufacturing facility near Chennai.
The Ford CEO was accompanied by Mark Schulz, executive vice-president (Asia-Pacific operations), Peter Daniel, chief operating officer (Asia-Pacific and Africa), Jim Vella, chief of staff, Ford Motor Company, USA and Arvind Mathew, managing director, Ford India Pvt.
The statement said Jayalalithaa requested Ford Jr. to immediately think of expanding the Chennai plant, where the company has already invested Rs 1,700 crore (Rs 17 billion).
The plant, located at Maraimalai Nagar, employs about 1,800 people and has rolled out its 1,00,000th car.
"Ford Jr agreed with the Chief Minister that Chennai is becoming a global sourcing hub and he would draw up specific expansion plans at Chennai," it said.
