Ford's China 2007 vehicle shipments seen up 30 pct
Ford Motor Co. a relative newcomer to China, will rise its vehicle shipments capacity up to 30 percent this year to meet growing demand, an industry source told Reuters. The source added that Ford is expected to ship 300,000 to 350,000 vehicles to dealers in the country this year, in comparison with 260,000 to 270,000 units in 2006. The automaker reported a 25 percent increase in retail vehicle sales in the first six months of the year, outperforming 22.26 percent growth in the overall market.
The expected strong growth is mainly possible due to the enlarged capacity at Changan Ford Mazda, its venture with Mazda Motor Corp. and Changan Automobile Co. Ltd., which 
is expanding to add new models and to keep up with demand for the Focus mid-range sedan, said the source, asking not to be identified.
Shipments of the Focus consist nearly 60 percent of the venture's overall sales volume in the first six months of the year, up 66 percent to 55,676 units. In the second half of the year, the venture will roll out a new generation of the Mondeo and Mazda 2. By the end of this year Ford plans to boost annual production capacity in China to 460,000 units, including 410,000 at Changan Ford Mazda and 50,000 at Jiangling Motors, a company in which Ford holds a 30 percent stake.
Automakers are competing to introduce new models in China, which thanks to increasingly demanding consumers became the world's second-largest car market. Another automaker which operates in China and holds two car manufacturing ventures -Volkswagen AG, has projected 20 percent growth in vehicle sales in China this year.
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