Gasgoo.com (Shanghai November 25) - Jiangling Motors announced that its J11 and J12 projects have been approved by its board of directors, Economic Observer News reported today. The former project, which is aimed at upgrading the Yusheng SUV, is estimated to cost JMC 123 million yuan ($19.63m). The goal of the latter project, meanwhile, is to develop a brand new right-hand drive pickup truck model.
JMC, which is primarily a pickup truck and SUV manufacturer, saw its sales fall sharply as the Chinese commercial vehicle market continued to suffer this year. According to its performance review, the manufacturer sold just 102,614 vehicles over the first half of the year. Sales of JMC branded trucks fell a full eight percent. On the contrary, JMC pickup and SUV sales grew 9.5 percent.
In response to poor market conditions in the country, JMC has set its sights on expanding its operations overseas. "We desire to expand into overseas markets, [and] are researching new models to ensure foreign sales growth," a representative from the manufacturer explained. The representative added that the manufacturer has taken notice of increasing demand for pickup trucks and SUVs both in China and overseas markets.
