Ford Could Take Over the Car Maker in Craiova

Ford Company could soon start making hybrid cars in Romania, after taking over the car maker in Craiova.
William Ford Jr., the president of the Ford Company, stated his interest in investing in Romania, following talks he had in Detroit with Romanian President Traian Basescu, during the latter’s visit to the U.S.
"Ford goes back a long time in Romania. Your president told me old Ford cars are still running on Romanian roads," said Ford.
Basescu mentioned the investment too, when talking to Romanian students at Stanford University. He said Ford wants to take over the car works in Craiova city, since the Romanian state is likely to get back next month the control package now owned by Korean Company Daewoo.
Subsequently Ford could bid for the care maker in Craiova, along its rival, General Motors.

Sources in the Romanian official delegation making the trip to the U.S. stated that Ford means to invest some half a billion dollars, either in taking over the car maker in Craiova or in a greenfield investment.
Ford would use its Romanian production lines to make hybrid type cars, with both conventional engines and electrical ones. It already launched in America Ford Escape Hybrid, which uses 6.5 liters in the city and 7.5 outside the city for each 100 kilometers.

So far, on the market of hybrid cars are present Toyota, with the popular model Prius and the more pricy one, Lexus; and Honda, Peugeot and DaimlerChrysler in partnership with GM.