May 6 - Chinese automaker Geely has acquired part of a Ford manufacturing complex in Spain and intends to manufacture one of its vehicles at the site, according to a report by the Spanish trade publication La Tribuna de Automocion that cited unnamed industry sources.
The acquisition reportedly covers the Body 3 vehicle assembly facilities located at Ford’s Almussafes plant in Valencia. The report also indicated that the two firms were discussing the possibility of Geely producing a model for Ford at the same location.
Sources cited by the Spanish publication said the transaction comes amid broader, ongoing negotiations between Geely and Ford over shared vehicle technologies - talks Reuters first reported in February. The report published on Tuesday noted that Geely had not immediately replied to requests for comment, while a Ford representative described the media coverage as speculation and declined to comment further.
The reported purchase fits a pattern of Chinese automakers moving production into Europe. The article noted that companies from China are establishing European factories in part to reduce exposure to import tariffs and to navigate rising regulatory scrutiny on foreign-made cars.
In a separate report on Wednesday, the same Spanish publication said that another Chinese automaker, SAIC Motor, was weighing a site in Ferrol, a northwestern Spanish port town in Galicia, as a potential location for European production. That report likewise cited unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations.
Attempts to obtain comment from the Galician government were not immediately successful. The article also recorded that in April the Galician Premier Alfonso Rueda visited SAIC Motor’s headquarters in Zhengzhou during a trip aimed at attracting Chinese investment to the region.
No additional confirmations or public statements from the involved companies or regional authorities were included in the reporting cited.