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<\/p>\nFord Motor Company is nearing a decision to build a new generation of electric transmission systems at its Halewood plant on Merseyside, a move that would herald positive news for the British automotive industry.<\/p>\n
Sky News has learnt that the Michigan-based car giant is expected to deliver its verdict within weeks about whether to commit substantial investment to the UK site as it shifts to all-electric vehicle production by 2030.<\/p>\n
Industry sources said on Thursday that Ford was in talks with officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) about the proposals to build a new eTrans system at Halewood.<\/p>\n
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The British plant is vying with Ford’s other European transmission production facility, in Germany, for the investment, according to insiders.<\/p>\n
Ford would be expected to commit funding running to hundreds of millions of pounds to develop the new eTrans production site, they added.<\/p>\n
It is unclear whether Ford is seeking any government subsidies or other support to secure the investment for the UK.<\/p>\n
The Halewood site is understood to employ just over 500 people, with those jobs likely to be secured over the long term if the investment decision goes in its favour.<\/p>\n
Etrans systems are an essential part of electric vehicles, which will increasingly dominate global automotive production in the coming years.<\/p>\n
Ford took full control of Halewood earlier this year after having operated it as a joint venture with Getrag, a German company.<\/p>\n
The impending decision will be the latest in a string of production shifts affecting the UK car industry as the sector accelerates an inexorable transition to all-electric and hybrid vehicle production.<\/p>\n
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In July, Stellantis, the owner of car marques such as Peugeot and Vauxhall, unveiled plans to invest £100m in electric van production at Ellesmere Port in the north-west of England.<\/p>\n
That came just days after Nissan, the Japanese carmaker, said that it would spend £1bn on an electric model and battery plant at its site in Sunderland.<\/p>\n
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Those decisions brought welcome relief to an industry which has faced years of uncertainty encapsulated most notably by the closure of Honda’s Swindon plant earlier this year.<\/p>\n
A number of gigafactories are also under discussion between ministers and automotive groups.<\/p>\n
The Financial Times reported earlier this year that six companies were involved in such negotiations, including Britishvolt, Ford and Samsung.<\/p>\n
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Sky News revealed in July<\/strong> that Rivian, an electric vehicle company which counts Ford and Amazon among its investors, was talking to the UK government about building a giant production facility near Bristol.<\/p>\n The sector nevertheless continues to be buffeted by headwinds triggered by the ongoing crisis in the global supply of semiconductors.<\/p>\n Hundreds of jobs are reportedly under threat at Vauxhall’s Luton van plant, with the Unite union pledging this week to seek to mitigate proposed redundancies.<\/p>\n In total across Europe, Ford employs roughly 43,000 people, including 7,000 in the UK.<\/p>\n The company said in February that that by mid-2026, all of its passenger vehicles in Europe would be “zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, and will be completely all-electric by 2030.<\/p>\n “Similarly, Ford’s entire commercial vehicle range will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, by 2024, with two-thirds of Ford’s commercial vehicle sales expected to be all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.”<\/p>\n A Ford spokesman said on Thursday: “Ford is going ‘all-in’ on electrification, with 100% of our passenger vehicles being all-electric and two-thirds of our commercial vehicle sales expected to be all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.<\/p>\n “We will provide more details about the actions we are taking to strengthen further our electrification plans across Europe at the appropriate time but have nothing further to add today.”<\/p>\n