Ford Looking For Oblast Partners

The management of the Ford Motor Company has announced it intends to continue developing its project of building a car factory at the Russky Diesel factory in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Oblast.

<BR>The management of the Ford Motor Company has announced it intends to continue developing its project of building a car factory at the Russky Diesel factory in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Oblast.<BR>Although no final decision has been made about construction, the company is already seeking component suppliers in the oblast for future production. "We want Russian manufacturers to take part in supplying production parts, alongside Ford's traditional suppliers in Europe," said Dmitrii Yurushkin, Ford's CIS operations strategy advisor. It is not yet known what cars will be made in the Leningrad Oblast. Before the crisis, the local authorities were confident that construction was to begin on 22 October 1998, but the project start date is now quoted as '1999'.<BR>Nick Short, Ford's marketing and sales director for Russia, says, "Russia remains a strategic market for the company. We intend to work actively on this market for many years to come."