Ford is stepping up production of SUVs in Russia in a bid to improve the automaker's European performance.
Ford Sollers, a joint venture between Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford and Sollers, a leading Russian automotive company headquartered in Moscow, will combine ongoing production of the Ford Explorer with the Kuga Sport (marketed as the Escape in the US) and the smaller Ecosport in a bid to boost second half sales after an 18 percent decline in deliveries through May, Ford Sollers CEO Ted Cannis said, Bloomberg.com reported.
Ford Sollers launched full production of the Ford Explorer in Yelabuga, Tatarstan in April, the first time the popular SUV has been manufactured outside the US.
