Ford will launch today the first Ford model made in Romania, at the Banie factory in Craiova, South Romania. The model, Transit Connect will be sold on the Romanian market at prices ranging between 14,000 euro to 15,600 euro, will also be sold in the US. President Basescu and the Senate's Speaker, Mircea Geoana are expected to attend the event.

This would be an opportunity to know more about Ford's plans in Romania and the way the crisis will affect their plans. This year, production will not exceed some thousands of units but in several years Ford plans to produce some 300,000 cars in Craiova and hire some 3,000 people, on top of the 4,000 already employed.

Ford tookover Automobile Craiova in September 2007, when they bought from the state, 72.4% of the company's shares for 57 million euro.