'Turkey-UK deal gives Ford renewed trust in investment'

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) - The UK's free trade deal with Turkey has helped to secure jobs by protecting supply chains for great automakers like Ford UK, said Britain’s trade secretary on Wednesday.

On Twitter, Liz Truss praised the newly signed deal between two countries, saying it gives the US carmaker confidence to continue investing in Britain.

Ford announced on Tuesday that its factory in Dagenham, east London will produce the diesel engines for its next generation of Transit Custom vans.

The engines manufactured in Dagenham will be shipped to Turkey, where the vans will be assembled by the carmaker’s Ford Otosan joint venture.

Turkish-based auto firm Ford Otosan is set next year to open Turkey’s first integrated electric vehicle factory in the industrial Kocaeli province to manufacture next-generation commercial vehicles and batteries.

The company's joint investment in both countries will ensure the continued employment of 1,900 people working at Ford's factory in Dagenham in England.

By 2025, up to 60% of the diesel engines manufactured at the east London plant are projected to be designated for Ford’s one-ton commercial vehicles being made in Turkey.

Last year, Turkey and the UK signed a historic free trade agreement, without which about 75% of Turkish exports to the UK would have been subject to tariffs, causing losses of some $2.4 billion.