Ford has apparently done a deal with Geely as it attempts to reduce excess production capacity in Europe, and it could also see the Chinese automaker building cars for the Blue Oval.
According to La Tribuna de Automoción, Geely has signed a deal to buy the Body 3 assembly line at Ford’s plant in Almussafes, about 30 minutes south of Valencia, Spain.
Body 3, the most modern line at the plant, has been sitting idle since 2023 when production of the Galaxy and S-Max people movers ended. Until 2022 the closely related Mondeo hatch and wagon was also produced on the line.
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Currently the plant only makes the Kuga SUV. Most of the work on the Kuga takes place at Body 2, with a bit of assembly work done in Body 1.
Local industry sources have told the newspaper Geely intends to use the plant to build a vehicle based on its Global Intelligent Electric Architecture (GEA) with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric drivetrain options.
It’s said the two automakers are in discussions about Geely producing a vehicle for Ford based on this architecture. If this comes to fruition, Geely will be the third automotive partner Ford has employed to help flesh out its EV range in Europe.
The Explorer and Capri SUVs are both based on the Volkswagen MEB architecture, but are produced at Ford’s plant Cologne, Germany. The Blue Oval has also signed a contract for Renault to produce two Ford-designed EVs based on the same platform as the 5 E-Tech and 4 E-Tech.
According to Economía Digital the car Geely is planning to build in Valencia is the EX2, which we recently drove after the Beijing motor show.
The rear-wheel drive EX2 measures 4.1m long, and is currently available solely with electric drivetrains, including a 58kW motor paired to a 30kWh battery and a 85kW motor with a 40kWh battery.
Since its launch in late 2024 it has taken China by storm, and was the country’s best-selling model in 2025 when 465,000 units were sold.
If the reports are accurate, and Geely begins producing EVs in Valencia, these cars will skip past the 35.4 per cent tariff barrier setup by the EU for pure electric cars made in China.
Ford isn’t the only legacy automaker considering selling all or part of a factory to a Chinese manufacturer. Earlier this week, Nissan confirmed it will shut down one of the two lines at its Sunderland, UK factory. Rumours indicate the company is looking to sell off the closed production line to Dongfeng, its Chinese joint venture partner.