Ford starts building 3rd China plant for new Focus

Shanghai, September 25 (Gasgoo.com) Ford Motor started building a third Chinese plant today with its local partner Changan Auto in China's southwest Chongqing city, xinhuanet.com reported today. The new plant will mainly produce Ford's next-generation Focus cars.

The $490 million plant is built by Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., a joint venture of Ford Motor, Changan Auto and Mazda Motor. The plant, Ford's second in Chongqing and third in China, will produce 150,000 cars annually starting 2012, to boost Ford's China capacity to 600,000 units. 

Ford plans to introduce four new vehicle models in China in the next three years. The next-generation Focus, scheduled to debut in January 2010 at the North American Auto Show, represents a shift toward C-segment vehicles that Ford says it expects to account for nearly 28% of its global sales by 2013.

Ford's Chongqing plant currently makes the Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo and Ford S-MAX. Its plant in Nanjing, in eastern China, makes the Ford Fiesta.

Changan Ford Sales Co. sold 144,601 Ford brand cars in the first eight months, up 30% from a year earlier. Sales of Ford cars surged 111% to 21,127 units in August.

Ford's other partner in China, Jiangling Motors Corp., makes commercial vehicles, including the popular Ford Transit van.