Ford’s joint venture company in western China Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA) has broken ground today (16 June) for its second engine plant in Chongqing.
The US$500m investment will double CFMA’s annual engine production capacity in China to 750,000 units when it starts operations in 2013, the automaker said. The engines will equip Ford-brand vehicles manufactured and sold in the country.
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Located in Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area, the Chongqing engine plant represents one of several new investments that Ford has made to support its expansion plan in China.
“Today’s ground-breaking ceremony represents yet another milestone in Ford’s accelerated expansion plan for China,” said Ford Asia Pacific and Africa president and Ford China chairman and CEO, Joe Hinrichs.
“This plan reinforces our commitment to aggressively grow the Ford brand in China and offer a full range of exciting, fuel-efficient vehicles to Chinese customers.”
In April of this year, Ford announced that it will bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015.
In addition, Ford signed an MOU in May to build its first transmission plant in the country, also in Chongqing, with an initial annual capacity of up to 400,000 units. Early next year, Ford’s second passenger-car assembly plant in Chongqing will begin production, starting with the new Ford Focus.
Ford also plans to double the number of employees and dealership outlets it has in China by mid-decade.
