Breaking news: Ford Asia Pacific HQ moving to China

Shanghai, February 3 (Gasgoo.com) Ford Motor Company's Asia Pacific and Africa region headquarters, with supporting corporate functions, will be moving to China, Ford Motor (China) Ltd told Gasgoo.com today. Thailand (Bangkok) will continue to serve as Ford's ASEAN regional headquarters.

In an email reply to the Gasgoo.com inquiry this afternoon about Ford Asia Pacific's headquarters relocation to China, Lynn Ouyang, Communications & Public Affairs executive of Ford Motor (China) Ltd., said: "Today, we can confirm that our leadership team, with supporting corporate functions, will be moving to China."

The email added that "Thailand will continue to serve as the ASEAN regional headquarters with our Ford ASEAN leadership team and supporting corporate functions based in Bangkok."

"Ford Motor Company's Asia Pacific and Africa region is continuing the process of regionalization in order to achieve more effective integration and leverage of global assets, and improved management processes that deliver the consistency, efficiency and effectiveness to be competitive in today's business environment," the email said at the beginning.

Lynn Ouyang finally said in the reply: "Additional centers of excellence will be established around the region. It is still too early in the process to discuss anything further."

In 2004, Volkswagen AG and General Motors relocated their Asia Pacific regional headquarters to China to seek greater growth in the center of this region's auto business. China has become the world's second largest auto market after the United States.