Ford France leaves customisation to Automotive Society

NEWS Ford France has handed over 'end of line' production of all its cars to French SNCF (Société Nationale de Chemin de Fer) subsidiary STVA (Société de Transports de Vehicules Automobiles). The French transport company will take over the final preparation and customisation of the cars before they leave the factory from 1 March. A spokesman at STVA said: "This is a very important contract for us as we develop our logistical activities in the European market. It gives us the exclusive rights to prepare cars and organise the inventory before the cars hit the showrooms." The contract is scheduled to run for three years, however, no value for the deal was given. "We'll be responsible for around two hundred thousand vehicles this year but we want to double the total next year," said the STVA spokesman. The French company is already responsible for the customisation of two million of the 15 million vehicles sold each year in the European market.