ZF Friedrichshafen has opened its 15th plant in China, a facility that is expected to generate more than €100 million ($US120.7 million) in sales by 2007, Reuters reported.


The Changchun plant, a joint venture with Chinese car parts company Fawer, makes passenger car axles and will expand output next year to include more components for cars and trucks – its customers include the Chinese operations of Volkswagen and its luxury division Audi as well as domestic carmakers Chery and FAW, the report said.


“With the orders on hand for the Changchun plant we expect sales of around €50 million in 2005. We plan to have sales of over 100 million for 2007,” Reinhard Buhl, the head of ZF’s chassis division, said in a statement cited by the news agency, which noted that ZF had €255 million in sales in China in 2004.