Ford Motor Company is considering a brownfield expansion of its Maraimalai Nagar facility near Chennai into a major electric-vehicle (EV) manufacturing hub for the Asia-Pacific region, according to people familiar with the development, Fortune India reported.
The proposed expansion could integrate EV assembly with the production of batteries, cells, electric motors and other critical components, creating a more comprehensive manufacturing base for the automaker in India.
Sources said the facility is also being positioned as an Asia-Pacific hub for affordable electric vehicles, with production expected to focus largely on export markets. If implemented, the plan could significantly increase Ford’s manufacturing footprint in India and provide an integrated base for developing and producing lower-cost EVs for regional and global markets.
“Ford is looking at Chennai not just as a powertrain manufacturing base but as a larger EV manufacturing hub for the Asia-Pacific region. The focus is expected to be on affordable electric vehicles, with the facility potentially serving both the regional and global export markets,” a person familiar with the development said.
However, Ford has not publicly confirmed plans to manufacture EVs at the Chennai facility.
A Ford India spokesperson told Fortune India that there has been no change to the company’s announcement made last year. “Our Chennai facility will manufacture powertrains for export only. We have not provided details of the type of powertrain or export markets at this point,” the spokesperson said.
Ford had previously announced plans to restart operations at its Chennai plant, which it had earlier decided to cease manufacturing at. The facility is expected to focus on powertrain production for export markets.
The latest proposal, if confirmed, would mark a potentially broader role for Chennai in Ford’s global manufacturing strategy, particularly as automakers expand efforts to build cost-competitive EV supply chains in Asia.
