Ford Targets 300,000 China Sales, Plans New Research Center

Ford Motor Company announced ambitious expansion goals for China at a Friday briefing in Beijing, projecting sales of 300,000 vehicles in 2006, twice its 2005 total.

Ford vice-president Mei-wei Cheng, who also oversees the company's China operations, said the market is central to the automaker's broader recovery strategy. Industry data, he noted, suggests China will account for 50 percent of global automotive growth over the next decade.

The American automaker is a relative latecomer to China and used the Beijing motor show this weekend as a platform to raise its profile in the country.

Ford separately announced plans to establish a research and engineering center in Nanjing, describing it as a significant step in building out its manufacturing presence in China.

Production of the award-winning S-MAX model is also set to begin in early 2007 through Ford's Changan Ford joint venture in China.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.