Ford Motor Company on April 19 made several strategic announcements to support its forward-moving business direction in China, highlighting the company's rapidly expanding presence and increasingly competitive position in the world's second-largest automotive market.
During a press conference in Shanghai, China, Mei-Wei Cheng, vice president of Ford Motor Company and chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China, announced that:
- The official start of volume production at the Changan Ford Mazda Engine Company will come very soon.
- The vehicle production at the new Nanjing facility, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company (CFMA), will begin before the end of the year.
- The third-generation Ford Mondeo will start production at Changan Ford Mazda Automobile’s Chongqing plant later this year.
- An all-new Ford small car will be produced at Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company Nanjing plant in 2008.
Additionally, Cheng referred to Ford Motor Research & Engineering (Nanjing) Company Ltd. in his speech, which received government approval in March, and its role as an integral part of Ford Motor Company’s global research and design. He said this new operation will enhance Ford China's local engineering capabilities, as well as strengthen the sourcing capability for manufacturing in China and to support Ford Motor's global manufacturing.
“These collective announcements underscore Ford Motor's commitment to the China market and China's growing importance to our overall global strategy. Ford Motor China now encompasses one of the most comprehensive and competitive operations in the Chinese market, including full-scale vehicle and engine production; research, development and engineering; sales; aftersales services; and auto financing. Our local partnerships and the smooth implementation of our China strategy have greatly contributed to Ford becoming a leader of China’s automobile market," said Cheng.
"Ford's complete lineup of cars in China now includes premiere and mid-size vehicles, small cars, SAVs, SUVs, and commercial vehicles," he said.
The sleek, third-generation Ford Mondeo embodies Ford's special European “kinetic design” language and world-class technology. It follows in the footsteps of the Car of the Year 2007 S-MAX as the next Ford model to be produced in China.
Ford Motor Company and CFMA have become one of the leaders in China’s burgeoning auto industry, recording an impressive 86.6 percent year-on-year increase in China market sales for 2006, far ahead of the overall industry average. CFMA's first-quarter sales have totaled 38,908 units, or a 40.8 percent increase over the same period a year ago.