Shanghai August 25 (Gasgoo.com) Beiqi Foton Motor is planning to set up a production base with an annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles in Russia in 2012, and to gradually spread its wings to the entire Europe with its light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, big buses, big and small vans, pickups, SUVs and so forth, media reported Wednesday.
Foton Motor, China's leading producer of commercial vehicles, is scheduled to build totally five plants in Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Thailand before 2015. The company aims to make strong presence in Japan, South Korea, Western Europe and North America through manufacture of high-end vehicles and engines, and to achieve a rapid development in the new energy field.
Foton Motor has started planning for development of the new energy vehicles since 2003 and has now become the largest new energy vehicles manufacturer in China.
To accelerate the commercialization of its new energy vehicles and better fit in the overseas market, the company officially established its European division in Russia in June 24, and entered joint venture deal with Daimler on July 16 to produce heavy trucks in China.
At present, Foton Motor has delivered 1,500 Eu-V hybrid buses into operation in Beijing, Guangzhou, Jinan and other cities across the country and expects to sell over 500 hybrid buses and develop an annual production capacity of 1,500 hybrid buses by 2012, said Liu Guoqiang, vice general manager of Foton Eu-V bus.
On top of that, Foton Motor has built CKD plants in Indonesia, Vietnam, Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and other countries, established complete sales networks and service networks in Central Asia, West Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, CIS, Eastern Europe, etc. and has expanded its business to more than 100 countries and regions.
The company is intended to increase its vehicle output and sales to 2 million units by 2015, gaining operating income of over 170 billion yuan ($25 billion) with 10 billion yuan profit, of which its overseas sales are expected to reach 450,000 units accounting for 25% of its total sales.
In July, Foton's auto sales gained 4.78% year on year to 54,669 units. In the first seven months of the year, its auto production and auto sales jumped 16.30% and 25.8% from a year earlier to 405,167 units and 422,785 units, respectively.
