Ford reportedly plans to boost the production of vehicles that are manufactured in the US and Canada and exported to China, by up to 40,000 per year as the Chinese appetite for SUVs grows.
A report in The Detroit News says the automaker will increase the exports of Explorer full-size and Edge midsize SUVs. Exports are expected to be handled by Auto Warehousing, and would be done through shipping port in Portland, Oregon to China.
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Ford said, “The vast majority of the vehicles we sell in China are built in China”. It further added, “As part of our plan to offer a full family of SUVs to Chinese consumers, we began importing the Ford Explorer from the US to China this year. Explorer joins our locally produced EcoSport and Kuga, as well as Edge, which is imported from Canada.” The Edge is built in Oakville, Ontario, while Explorer is built in Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant.
Exports are expected to commence in a few weeks. Vehicles exported by Ford from all countries to China and sold during the first nine months reached 16,405.
The company is also planning to introduce Lincoln luxury brand in China by the end of 2014. These Lincolns will also be manufactured in North America initially.
