Ford will open a third shift at its Camacari factory in Brazil so that it can meet demand for a new car model and increasing exports, according to Reuters.
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Antonio Maciel Neto, head of Ford’s South American business, reportedly said at a news conference the new shift would allow the Camacari factory, in the state of Bahia, to increase production capacity to 250,000 units by year’s end from a current 200,000.
“That level was not expected until 2007,” Maciel said, according to the news agency.
Reuters noted that the plant currently produces Ford’s popular Fiesta and EcoSport cars and the new model has not been launched yet though Maciel said only that it would be geared for both domestic and foreign markets.
He reportedly added that Ford sold 66,000 vehicles in South America in the first three months of the year, 50% more than the same period a year earlier.
The increase in the market allowed Ford to post a profit of $US15 million for the region, its first profit in South America in nearly a decade, Reuters said.
The news agency said Maciel expects Ford’s Brazilian operations to export close to $US900 million worth of vehicles this year, up from $789 million in 2003.
