Ford Tells Partners It’s Suspending Operations in Russia

(Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co. said it's suspending operations in Russia, joining companies across the world in pulling back following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The automaker told its joint-venture partners that it's halting work immediately, according to a statement Tuesday. Ford had already been winding down its Russian operations, which today consist of commercial van manufacturing and Russian sales through a minority interest in the Sollers Ford joint venture, the company said.

“We at Ford are deeply concerned about the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the safety of the Ukrainian people,” Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley said on Twitter. The company, which doesn't have significant operations in Ukraine, plans to make a donation to the Global Giving Ukraine Relief Fund.

With the decision, Ford joins a growing group of companies that are leaving Russia or pausing operations, including General Motors Co. and Harley-Davidson Inc. Huge oil producers BP Plc and Shell Plc, along with prominent players in other sectors, such as Apple Inc., made similar moves.

Ford's business in Russia is small and has been downsized over the past three years. There were just 22,000 of its vehicles -- including Ford-branded automobiles produced by an unconsolidated affiliate -- sold there last year, according to regulatory filings.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker had said in 2019 it was closing three factories in Russia, pulling out of a car market where it was once a pioneer as part of a broader overhaul of its money-losing European operations. That decision was made as an economic slowdown and western sanctions dimmed the outlook for what many automakers had long seen as a key growth market.

Russia has not been a big market for American automakers. GM sold just 3,000 vehicles, mostly Cadillac luxury SUVs, there.

While scrutinizing weak-performing operations, GM had shut down its plant in St. Petersburg in 2015 and kept only a small retail operation selling expensive models. At the time, Ford tried to boost its operations there, only to see sanctions and an economic slowdown hurt vehicle sales.