Ford to Add Eight Models in India, Invest in Thailand

VOA News
August 26, 2010 at 9:25 am

The Ford Motor Co. says it is expanding its Asian operations, adding eight new models in India and revamping its pickup truck plant in Thailand.

The U.S. automaker said Thursday that 70 percent of its global growth in the next 10 years will be in Asia, mostly in India and China. Ford said it believes that by 2020 India will be the world’s third biggest auto market, behind the U.S. and China.

Ford said it plans to launch the eight new models in India by the middle of the decade, adding to the $500 million it already has invested in the country.

In Thailand, Ford said it will join Mazda Motor Corp. to invest $350 million to alter its pickup truck manufacturing operations.

Ford said the models introduced in India will mostly be in the high-volume, compact car market, but that it will add some more costly vehicles as well.

While expanding its Indian operations for the Asian market, Ford says it has no plans to export any of the vehicles produced there to the U.S. or Europe.

Ford introduced its compact Figo model in India earlier this year, and has sold more than 30,000 of the vehicles. It started exporting the Figo to South Africa in May, and now says it plans to export it to 50 other markets, including Mexico.

In the Thailand truck operation, Ford and Mazda said they would not increase production from the current 275,000 a year. Instead, they said the new investment will be aimed at revamping the manufacturing facility and improving worker training. Some information in this story was provided by AP.