Mazda 8 to be made in China soon

FAW CAR Co.,Ltd. stated it will introduce Mazda 8 to the Chinese market as of next year beside the existing Mazda 5.

The company is reported to have got approval from the National Development and Reform Commission to manufacture high-end MPVs, which are confirmed to be the Mazda 8 model. Annual production capacity is scheduled to reach 20,000 units in the initial stage.

Yu Hongjiang, deputy manager of FAW Mazda Motor Sales Co., Ltd. told reporters that the model will be sold at 200,000 yuan, taking Buick GL 8 and Honda Odyssey as its competitors.

Compared with Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 produced at Chang'an Ford Mazda plant, FAW CAR mainly focuses on high-end Mazda models, including Mazda 5, Mazda 6 and Mazda 8. According to Mazda's long term plan, the Japanese company aims to bring 8 news models to the China market over the next two years, while sales are expected to reach 300,000 by 2010, a big improvement over the full year sales of 2006.