Ford plans to compete in more market segments in China, a senior executive has said.
Ford currently makes the Focus, Mondeo, S-Max and Fiesta models in a three-party tie-up with Chongqing Changan Automobile and Mazda Motor. The Transit van is manufactured at a JV with Jiangling Motors in which the automaker owns 30%.
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“If you think of the market as small cars, medium cars, large cars, SUVs, performance vehicles, all of those different pieces, we compete in about 22% of that market today,” Will Periam, strategy director for Ford’s Asia Pacific and Africa operations, told Reuters during an industry forum in Tianjin.
“In the future, we expect to compete in about 50% of that market. And that will be by new versions of the products we have and all-new products which aren’t here today.”
Most of the new models will be made in China, including the new Focus and the Kuga small SUV, Periam said.
Periam expects China vehicle sales to reach 32m units by 2020 from an estimated 18m this year.
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By GlobalDataFord, Mazda and Changan have applied to Chinese regulators to split their three-way tie into two 50-50 ventures and are awaiting approval, Periam told the news agency.
In the first seven months, Ford sold 306,830 vehicles in China, up 13% year on year.
Periam attributed Ford’s recent growth to the launch of a new Mondeo, solid demand for the Focus and Fiesta models as well as aggressive dealership expansions – adding two outlets per week on average.
