Talks continue to find investor for Ford's axed Focus plant in Germany

BERLIN -- The government of the German state of Saarland is continuing talks to find a new investor for Ford's factory in Saarlouis.

Ford is ending production of the Focus compact car, the only model built in the factory, in 2025, as the U.S. automaker transitions to selling only battery-electric cars in Europe.

Talks over the factory's future are currently underway with an investor from the auto industry, Saarland's president, Anke Rehlinger, told the dpa news agency.

"I remain confident that we will find a solution for the site to keep as many jobs as possible," Rehlinger said. There are other alternatives for the plant if no automotive investor is found, she added.

Ford has picked its factory in Valencia, Spain, over Saarlouis, to build its next-generation BEVs on a new electric car platform. The automaker was in discussions with a potential automotive investor to take over the Saarlouis plant but these collapsed in October.

Rehlinger said the German government's recent axing of subsidies for electric car purchases would not influence a prospective automaker's decision to produce EVs at the facility. "I believe that in the end, such a decision would not jeopardize a major investment," she said.