Ford Ranger Raptor Assembly line Manufacturing electric vehicles (EV) at Ford's Silverton plant in Tshwane is "absolutely" part of the automobile manufacturer's future strategy, said Andrea Cavallaro, operations director of the Ford International Markets Group. Cavallaro and other officials from the motor company spoke to Fin24 on Tuesday, following an announcement that Ford would invest R15.8 billion in its operations in South Africa. This is its most significant investment in the 97 years it has been in the country. The bulk of the investment or R10.3 billion will go towards upgrades to the Silverton assembly plant in Tshwane. The plant is one of Ford's largest production hubs in the world, for the Ranger model. Ford will direct R5.5 billion of the investment towards vendor tooling, to support suppliers with the latest equipment and technologies.