Ford, Changan in talks to export China-made Ford autos

China Daily (Beijing) - Ford Motor is in talks with its Chinese partner, Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, to export China-made Ford vehicles to emerging markets, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

"Ford and Changan are exploring ways to expand their partnerships. Export of China-made models is only one of the possible options," one source told Reuters.

Another person said the on-going discussions are in line with Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally's call to broaden and deepen the ties between the Detroit automaker and its Chinese partner.

A spokesman for Ford, which makes Fiesta, Mondeo, Focus and X-MAX models in a three-way tie-up with Chongqing Changan Automobile Co and Mazda Motor, said the company has no plans to export from China.

"We are building high quality, fuel efficient, fun-to-drive vehicles in China, for China, and have no plans to export vehicles from China," said Trevor Hale, a China-based spokesman with Ford's Asia Pacific and Africa operations, in an emailed statement.

A Changan spokesman declined to comment.

Ford, which also holds 30 percent of major Chinese light commercial vehicle maker Jiangling Motors Corp, was the fastest growing foreign automaker in China in 2010.

It sold 582,467 vehicles last year, up 40 percent from the year before, outperforming a 32 percent overall increase in the world's largest auto market.