Senior officials of US-based Ford Motor Company on Monday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay at the Secretariat to discuss speeding up manufacturing operations at the company’s plant. $Rs 3,250-crore facility at Maraimalai Nagar near Chennai and future expansion plans in the state.
Ford Motor Company currently operates a Global Capability Center (GCC) in Chennai, employing about 12,000 people in technology roles. The company also recently set up a similar facility in Coimbatore.
The Ford delegation included Simonetta B. Verdi, Managing Director, Government Affairs, International Markets Group; Dheeraj Dixit, Transformation Officer and Manufacturing Director, India Operations; and Shripad Bhatt, Country Director (Government), Ford India Pvt Ltd. Vijay met Tamil Nadu Industries Minister S Keerthana.
An official statement said that Ford Motor Company is set to start production of the engine at its existing Maraimalai Nagar facility.
Stating that Ford’s association with Tamil Nadu spans over three decades, the Prime Minister said his government would extend full cooperation to the manufacturing project to be undertaken by the company “soon”.
Commenting on the meeting, Industries Minister S Keerthana said, “The meeting focused on accelerating Ford’s manufacturing operations in Tamil Nadu, expanding global capability centers and exploring future investments.”
In a post on her official social media account, Keerthana said the Prime Minister assured the delegation of full support of the Tamil Nadu government and encouraged Ford to make full use of the Maraimalai Nagar manufacturing facility while developing its expansion plans in the state.
Additional Secretary, Industries Department, Vijayakumar and Managing Director and CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu, Deepak Jacob, also attended the meeting, the statement said.
On October 31, 2025, Ford announced an investment $3,250 crore in Chennai facility to manufacture new generation engines, a project expected to create around 600 jobs.
Ford exited the Indian market in 2021 after announcing it would stop manufacturing vehicles in the country. In 2024, the company submitted a letter of intent (LoI) to the Tamil Nadu government, confirming its plan to use the Chennai plant for export-oriented manufacturing.
The Chennai factory, spread over 400 acres, is located in Marimalai Nagar, about 45 km south of Chennai.
