The strength of the Chinese automotive market continues to rise – and now Ford has opened its first transmission plant in the country.
It has joined forces with Changan Automobile Group to break ground on a new US$350million transmission plant in Chongqing, which will bring it and its partner’s total investment in the country to US$3.5billion.
According to Joe Hinrichs, the president of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, the new transmission plant will help power the launch of 15 new vehicles in the country by 2015. It is also part of an aggressive growth programme with further plants to be built in Asia Pacific and Africa, with four in China.
Ford has been working with Changan Motors for a decade and in the last 10 years Changan Ford Mazda Automotive has sold more than 1.3million Ford brand vehicles including the Fiesta, Mondeo, Focus and S-MAX.
In addition, Changan Ford Mazda Automotive is building a US$490million assembly plant that will open in 2012 and be the new home of the Ford Focus.
