Ford Motor said on Friday that it was considering producing electric vehicles (EVs) in India for export and possibly for sale in the domestic market. This decision follows just months after the US auto-maker had decided to stop selling and manufacturing cars in the country. 

Ford’s comments mark a shift in strategy after it had said in September last year that it was taking a hit of about $2 billion because it did not see a path to profitability and was leaving the major auto market. The decision had come as a setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make In India programme. 

Ford has two car plants in the country. In a statement on Friday, the company said that it was “exploring the possibility of using a plant in India as an export base for EV manufacturing”. 

When asked if the company might consider selling electric cars in India as well, a Ford India spokesman said, “there have been no specific discussions on this right now, but it is not out of the realm of future consideration”. 

Ford is increasingly targeting customers in what it said was a “global electric vehicle revolution”. The auto-maker has previously said that it plans to invest $30 billion in EVs and batteries through 2030. 

Ford had less than 2 per cent of the Indian passenger vehicle market when it stopped production in the country, having struggled for more than two decades to turn profitable. The restructuring was viewed positively by analysts.