By BERNIE CAHILES–MAGKILAT
The Ford Group Philippines is launching next week a P1.1-billion Flex Fuel Engine Plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna as part of its effort to further strengthen its presence in the country and in the Asia Pacific region.
The US-based carmaker made the investment in the new flex fuel engine line in 2005 in its facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
According to Ford, the flex fuel engines would be installed in the compact sedan cars Ford Focus and eventually on Mazda Tribute, Mazda 3 and Ford Escape.
Already, the Ford affiliates in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam are importing these vehicles from the Philippines. Ford has chosen the Philippines as its manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia.
The Ford investment is a major impetus to the government’s thrust of reducing the country’s dependence on expensive imported crude.
Based on the 2005 estimates, the 10 percent ethanol blended with gasoline would translate to foreign exchange savings of around P32 billion a year.
Ford’s flex fuel engine assembly plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna is its first in Asia. The project would have a production capacity of 100,000 engines over the next five years valued at about 0 million.
It has already rolled out its first-ever flex fuel vehicles in the Philippines and in Asia-the 1.8-and 2-liter Focus.
Flex fuel vehicles have engines that are designed to operate on either conventional gasoline only or a combination of gasoline and bio-ethanol fuels.
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