Mazda, owner of the Compañía Colombiana Automotriz assembly plant in Bogotá, Colombia, is to increase output by 40%, responding to steadily growing demand for its cars in the Andean countries.
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The Japanese automaker, part-owned by Ford, will invest append $US3.5m expanding the plant and hopes to boost export volume by 35% in the next year.
The Bogotá plant assembles car models including the Allegro (a previous generation 323), 3, 5 and 6 plus B-series pickup trucks sourced from Thailand. It also builds Ford Ranger trucks (also Thai-sourced) and the previous-generation Mitsibishi Montero (Pajero/Shogun) SUV under contract.
Fabio Sánchez, the facility’s new president, said the three Andean countries (Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador) “will share a market of around 520,000 units in 2006” and that “Mazda has grown exports 26% in the first half of the year”.
Mazda is currently in fourth place on the Colombian best sellers list after GM’s Chevrolet, Renault and Hyundai.
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By GlobalDataJuan Vargas
