For many weeks, rumours have been surrounding Ford and the production of their new sports utility vehicle (SUV) which many believe will be named ‘Puma’. Now, there’s confirmation that production will start in autumn and will begin in Craiova, Romania. Thanks to a EUR 200 million investment, the American company will create 1,700 new jobs for the area and will push the total number of Ford employees in Craiova to 5,700.

In recent years, the Craiova facility has gained in importance for Ford after starting production of the EcoSport SUV model. At the Frankfurt Motor Show, it’s believed Ford will reveal the Puma and the EcoSport model will come to an end. Additionally, the SUV Kruga will also be replaced as Ford increase their intensity on the SUV market in Europe.

For Ford, this has already been an eventful 2019 after announcing that thousands of jobs would be lost as they change the allocation of resources and leave unprofitable markets. For example, the C-Max model and others making a loss will be cut completely. With all these changes, Ford want a 6% operating margin in Europe. Before considering tax and interest, Ford struggled in the third quarter of 2018 after posting losses of EUR 245 million in Europe so, many will say, this restructuring was to be expected if they’re to turn things around.