Ford Union

{{Short description|Former joint venture in Belarus}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}

{{Expand German|Ford Union|date=October 2010}}

{{Infobox company

|name = Ford Union

|native_name = Форд-Юніён

|native_name_lang = be

|logo = Ford logo flat.svg

|foundation = July 1997

|defunct = {{start date and age|2000|7}}

|founder =

|location_city = Apčak

|location_country = Belarus

|area_served = Great Britain, Eastern Europe and CIS

|key_people = Alan Batty (CEO)

|industry = Automotive industry

|products = Automobiles

|owner = Ford Motor Company: 51%
Belarusian government: 26%
Lada-OMC: 23%

}}

The Ford Union (original spelling: {{lang|be|Форд-Юніён}}) is a former joint venture of the Ford Motor Company, the Russian Lada importer Lada-OMC and the Belarusian government. It was located in Apčak near the city of Minsk in Belarus. Ford invested a capital of US$10,000,000 for building the plant. The company existed from 1997 up to 2000 when it was closed due to low sales.{{cite news|title=Hell on wheels?|url=https://www.economist.com/business/1997/07/24/hell-on-wheels|access-date=8 June 2017|work=The Economist|date=24 July 1997}}{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UDO/is_2000_June_2/ai_63676737/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020080157/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UDO/is_2000_June_2/ai_63676737 |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 October 2004 |title=Ford To Halt Assembly in Belarus July Due To Low Demand |website=findarticles.com |date=2 June 2000 |access-date=27 July 2010}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1PvMobM1h2QC&pg=PA192 |author=Russel R. Miller |title=Selling to newly emerging markets |ISBN=1-56720-044-3 |page=192 |year=1998 |access-date=2024-06-27 |via=Google Books}}

The Ford Union was not a manufacturer, it was only an assembler of SKD kits. The vehicles assembled by the Belarusian plant can be identified by the manufacturer code Y4F on the start on the VIN and an R on the eleventh position for the plant identification.{{cite web|url=http://forum.fordclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4415 |title=Ford Club Belarus • Просмотр темы – vin КОД |publisher=Forum.fordclub.org |access-date=29 July 2010 |language=ru}}{{cite web|url=https://carinfo.kiev.ua/cars/vin/ford_eu |title=VIN: FORD (europe) |publisher=CARInfo |access-date=29 July 2010 |language=ru}}

The plant become well known on 23 July 1997 as president Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko was invited to a press conference with five strategically selected foreign journalists to discuss a predicted failure which later proved true.