Ford eliminates 1,100 jobs in Valencia of Spain with the cessation of production of the S-Max and Galaxy models in April

FORD has announced that it plans to eliminate 1,100 jobs at its Almussafes car plant in the province of Valencia.

The unions were informed on Friday, and Ford indicated a week earlier that it planned to reduce its workforce at Almussafes.

The news follows Ford’s announcement last month of the loss of 3,800 jobs elsewhere in Europe, including 2,300 positions in product development and administrative roles in Germany and 1,300 in the UK.

Last year, Ford said it was delaying production investments in Spain, citing a “revised outlook for Europe”, but stressed it was moving forward with plans to start producing electric vehicles later this decade at Almussafes.

The automaker had made it clear that the switch to electric vehicle manufacturing would mean cuts in the workforce.

The vice president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Aitana Mas, said: “The layoffs are not pleasant for anyone but they seem to be in line with the company’s future structural plans.”

“We have always supported Ford and we also support the production of electric cars,” he added.

Production of the S-Max and Galaxy models will cease next month at Almussafes as Ford will switch to making all-electric passenger cars by 2030.

It means that only the Kuga SUV will be built in Almussafes until 2025, when the new GE2 electric car starts rolling off the production lines.

READ MORE: