FAW building 2nd factory for own-brand models

Shanghai, August 21 (Gasgoo.com) China's auto giant FAW Group is building its second factory in Changchun city, northeast China's Jilin province, media reported yesterday. The new plant, scheduled for completion next year, will focus on making FAW's own-brand Besturn models.

"The new factory will produce Besturn vehicles," said Hong Jiang, vice manager of Faw Mazda's sales. The Besturn B70 and B50 will be transferred there as previously the Mazda 6 had to share the production line with Besturn. "This [new plant] will help relieve our productivity difficulties," Hong added.

After the new factory begins operations, the first phase of production will make 100,000 vehicles. With a current capacity of only 120,000 units, FAW's current production line makes the Mazda 6, Besturn B70, Besturn B50 and next year's new MPV, the Mazda 7.

In the first half of this year, China sales of the locally made Mazda 6 came to 39,382 units, up 26.4% from a year earlier. Mazda expects to double the sales figure next year after its Chinese partner FAW's Besturn models are produced in the new factory.

On March 3, the Besturn B50 rolled off the production line at the Changchun plant of FAW Car, a subsidiary of FAW Group, and went on sale in mid-May. It is based on the previous generation Mazda 6 platform, and equipped with a 1.6L gasoline engine.