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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Plants/Manufacturing , Hatchbacks , Ford Click above for high-res gallery of the Fiesta beginning production Ford has finally begun production of the all-new 2009 Ford Fiesta in Cologne, Germany, today. After an investment of 455 million Euros (about $674 million) to restructure and modernize the plant, Ford is expecting its 4,000 employees will be able to roll out 148,000 Fiestas by the end of the year, which is an impressive 1,900 cars each day). In January 2009, the Valencia plant in Spain will also begin building the Fiesta. There are also production plants in China, Thailand, and Mexico that are tooling up for the newest small Ford in order to meet worldwide demand, which finally includes the U.S. where it will also be sold in both sedan and hatchback configurations around 2010. Based on the Verve concept , the new compact is exactly what the automaker needs in today's efficiency-conscience marketplace, and its stylish enough not to be considered...
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Filed under: China , Cadillac , Chevrolet , Ford , GM , Earnings/Financials , By the Numbers While domestic sales continue to slide, the auto market in China is thriving. Both General Motors and Ford have reported double-digit sales growth for the first-half of 2008 in the world's most populace country, with GM moving 590,126 Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles for a total sales increase of 12.7 percent, while Ford sold 172,411 units for 21 percent jump in growth. With China recognized as the second-largest vehicle market outside the United States, and with their economy forecasted to grow by at least nine percent this year, automakers in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. are investing heavily to expand sales and production in the Chinese market. It is worth noting that vehicle sales in China have been nearly immune to the increase in global oil prices as governmental controls keep diesel and gasoline prices among the world's lowest. [Source: Detroit News ] Permalink | Email this...
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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing , Ford , Volvo Following up on our report last month about Volvo possibly going to the Chinese, state media is now reporting that Chery Automobile, one of the largest independent and fastest growing Chinese auto manufacturers, has its eyes on the Swedish automaker. Although officials at Chery rule out the possibility of buying Volvo, other sources have stated that the Chinese automaker has already negotiated funding for a possible acquisition. If so, that funding will be significant-insiders put Volvo's value at 30 billion yuan (about $4.4 billion dollars). This isn't the first time that Ford has been rumored to be cashing-out on Volvo... however, it was just two months ago that Ford officials reiterated that Volvo was not for sale . We wouldn't bet our yuan on it. [Source: Automotive News , subs. req'd] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: China , Volvo An eternally unanswerable question seems to be whether or not Ford is actively shopping around Volvo for a buyer. Just this week we reported that Chinese automaker SAIC and some Russian investors had expressed interest in purchasing the Swedish carmaker from Ford, but today we learn from a source within SAIC that the company is doing nothing of the sort. The unidentified source said that, as far as he/she knew, the two companies were not in contact about a possible purchase at all. Volvo's staying quiet and licking its wounds after announcing 2,000 layoffs this week, while Ford is singing the same old song with a catchy chorus that insists Volvo is not for sale. Well, the rumor that some Russians are interested in Volvo hasn't been refuted yet, so until someone named Boris says otherwise, let's considerable Volvo on the market despite Ford's protest. [Source: Automotive News , sub. req'd] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: China , Government/Legal , Plants/Manufacturing , Chrysler , Ford , GM , Earnings/Financials American automotive companies have been doing rather well for themselves these last few years in China. Still, the majority of manufacturing those vehicles is done in China using locally sourced parts. For this reason, the Chinese government has been facing pressure to ink more deals with American companies for the export of goods there, which is apparently now beginning to take place. Ford, for instance, has announced that it will be sending 30,000 complete vehicles (no word on which ones) to China along with other various auto parts. General Motors has also signed on with about $1 billion in vehicles and parts for export to China. Chrysler too will get in on the trading, though its deals will likely be smaller than either Ford's or General Motors'. All in all, the automotive sector will make up about $2 billion of the recently announced deals, which total more than $8.3 billion...
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Filed under: China , Hatchbacks , Ford , Misc. Auto Shows Click above to view the Ford Fiesta S in hi-res China will undoubtedly be an important market for the new Ford Fiesta. Originally unveiled in European spec at the Geneva Motor Show last month, the Chinese version has just made its debut this week at the Auto China show in Beijing. The Chinese Fiesta is scheduled begin production before the end of the year at Ford's $510 million Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA) plant in Nanjing, China. Styling is by and large the same as its European counterpart, only the Beijing show car, displayed in S trim, features a sportier, more aggressive trim package that could preview what a future hot-hatch Fiesta ST or RS could look like. Did Ford hit the sweet spot in Geneva or in Beijing? Take a look at the Chinese and European versions in the galleries below and share your thoughts in the comments. Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta S - China Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta [Source: Ford] Permalink | Email...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Sedans/Saloons , China , Ford , Mazda , Misc. Auto Shows click either image to view high-res galleries The ever increasing importance of the Chinese auto market is on full display this week at the 2007 Guangzhou Motor Show, and fortunately we have the Autoblog Chinese crew pounding the show floor as we speak. You can check out their coverage here (translated courtesy of Google), although for those not fluent in Chinese (like us) you'll have settle for looking at all the pretty pictures. Yesterday we told you about the debut of both the Mazda2 sedan and Ford Verve Sedan Concept at the Guangzhou show, and today we have live shots from the show floor courtesy of Autoblog Chinese. Technically these two cars are very much related, as the Verve concept is expected to inspire a production car of the same name that will be sold in the U.S. and markets abroad. That new small car will be based on the same platform as the Mazda2, and after the strong showing of four...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , China , Ford , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for photo gallery The Mazda2 sedan isn't the only new notchback on display at the Guangzhou Motor Show. It's got some company in the form of its Ford-branded cousin, the Verve. Parked onstage along with the 3-door unveiled in Europe earlier this year, the Verve notchback sedan sheds its predecessor's rear hatch and gains two doors and a trunk. The new rear treatment is extremely evocative of the Mondeo, and that's a good thing. In fact, the Verve (in this particular Autoblogger's opinion, at least) is better-looking than the similar Mazda2 4-door that also made its debut today. The Verve trifecta will be completed at the Detroit Auto Show in January, where we'll see the Americanized version in concept form. After looking at the 2008 Ford Focus , we fully expect every cool Ford Europe kinetic design feature to be jettisoned in favor of a ham-handed implementation of...
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Filed under: Economy , China , Plants/Manufacturing , Ford , Mazda With the opening of their second plant in China, the Blue Oval is talking about exporting cars outside the world's most populace country. China exports are appealing to automakers because...
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