Ford anticipates the globalization line of vehicles produced in Brazil

Ford will anticipate in a year the globalization program of its line of vehicles in the Brazilian market. By December, all cars sold in the country will be aligned to the strategy of global platforms of production established by the American automaker.
In Brazil, this process began with the EcoSport, mounted in Camaçari (BA) since August 2012. Then came the nationalization of the new Fiesta in Stockton and, recently, the manufacturing site of the new generation of the Ka, in pre-production phase in Ford's industrial complex in Bahia.
Along the way, the old line of the Ka is no longer produced at the end of last year, same fate for the older Fiesta, known as Fiesta Rocam. Ford has not yet manifested publicly on the subject, but, internally, the retirement of the car is already given as right after the launch, probably in August, the new entry model of the brand: the new Ka.
The globalization of the line includes the resumption in production of the F-series pickups in São Bernardo do Campo. Other models sold in the country, imported from Argentina and Mexico-like Focus, Fusion and the sedan version of the Fiesta-, are already covered in the guideline of the array in the United States, in which regional vehicles give space to cars that can be sold in various parts of the world, with minor adjustments.
The goal for the Brazilian subsidiary allowed up to 100% of globalization in 2015. "When we made the announcement, a few years ago, the cycle was a little different. But it was possible to accelerate it, "said yesterday the President of Ford South America, Steven Armstrong.
The Executive, however, said that doesn't mean the end of the cycle of investments of r $ 4.5 billion set for operations in Brazil until next year. Still, he said, a portion of these resources to be directed to facilities and infrastructure in 2015.
The last step of Ford to put the Brazil within the standards of quality and technology of the group in the world was given yesterday with the opening of a motor factory in the industrial complex of Camaçari. The line, which received investments of r $ 400 million, will equip the new Ka with three-cylinder 1.0 engines.
The example of what made the Volkswagen with the Up! -subcompact produced in Taubaté (SP)-the technology follows the trend of increasingly compact engines. Also meets the energy efficiency requirements set by the Brazilian Government as a counterpart to the fiscal incentives granted by the new automotive system, known as Innovate-Auto. With the reduction of the propulsion systems, can automakers make vehicles lighter and, as a consequence, more economical.
The engine that Ford began to assemble in the pre-production phase in Bahia have less than 30 cm and weighs 85 pounds, according to the company. "It's like a toy [...] fits in a Briefcase ", as he described the Ford engineer Volker Heumann.
All production will be initially intended for the new generation of the Ka, but Ford said that the application of technology, combined with auxiliary equipment to improve engine power, as the turbocharger, can be extended in the future to bigger cars.
"I think the tendency of three-cylinder engines will come to different products as technology evolve," said Armstrong. "We have to wait, but the engine itself is already ready and we have the ability to do that," said the Executive to be questioned whether Ford will bring to Brazil the turbine engine technology, known as EcoBoost-the same one that gave rise to the thrusters of Camaçari. The cost of these new technologies is still regarded as unfeasible within a price-sensitive market, since the application of the three-cylinder engines started for popular models.
The reporter travelled at the invitation of Ford