£1.5 billion investment in Ford's green future (From Daily Echo)

£1.5 billion investment in Ford's green future

9:58am Thursday 18th March 2010 in

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Ford workers in Hampshire received a welcome boost this morning when the motor giant unveiled plans to develop the next generation of “green” engines that will one day roll off the Southampton production line.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson announced that the Government had agreed to back Ford's proposed £1.5 billion investment over five years for development of a new generation of environmentally friendly engines and vehicle technologies in the UK.

The projects to be supported cover research and development for Ford's commercial vehicles such as the Transit and Connect vans and the development of low carbon emission diesel and petrol engines.

Ford's plans will safeguard around 2,800 skilled research engineering jobs in the UK, mostly at its R&D base in Dunton, Essex, But they underpin the next generation Transit, a version of which is to be built in the Swaythling plant, where 500 people are employed.

It’s welcome news for workers who have endured a tough time, with 500 jobs being lost at the plant last year and the remaining staff given a three-year pay freeze, a four-day week and a month-long shutdown at Christmas. Ford also confirmed plans to slash output from 75,000 vehicles a year to just 35,000.

For full story see Friday’s Daily Echo