Ford and its joint-venture partner Changan Ford today open a new assembly plant in Hangzhou, China, marking the sixth such operation in the country.
The facility, which represents a $760 million investment, will have the capacity to produce 250,000 vehicles annually. Located in eastern part of the country in the Da Jiangdong District, the plant plays a key role in Ford’s plan to increase global sales 45%-55% to 9.4 million vehicles per year by 2020.
With the plant now online, Changan Ford has total annual capacity of 1.4 million vehicles.
The Ford Edge midsize CUV will be the first vehicle to be produced at the plant. Future products to be built at the facility have not been disclosed.
Ford says the plant uses best-in-class manufacturing technologies, including a flexible production line that can produce up to six different models.
Additionally, Changan Ford says it is acquiring an assembly plant owned by Hafei Automotive Industry Group in Harbin, China.
“Changan Ford will utilize the acquired assets and upgrade them to meet the increasing demand of the Chinese market,” the automaker says in a statement.
