Ford China sales boosted

Chang'an Ford, which has made itself into the Top ten China sales chart for the first time, sold 20,088 vehicles last month and was listed as the seventh largest auto maker in China by China Passenger Vehicle Association.

Cheng Meiwei, the vice-president of Ford Motor Company and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor Company China, announced the completion the Ford Motor Research & Engineering Co., Ltd. at Nanjing this March. He said that the facility will give the Ford Motor China significant boost in engineering. 

Chang'an Ford Mazda's new engine plant went into mass production in Nanjing at the end of April with an investment of 2.5 billion yuan. The engine plant, with a production capacity of 350,000 engines a year, is one of China's largest, said the Chongqing-based carmaker in a statement.

The world's third largest carmaker's sales in China rose about 87 percent last year and achieved a 16.4% in the first quarter 2007; Chang'an Ford Mazda sales rose 112.7% last year to 129.790 units and 40.8 percent to 38,908 units in the first three months.