Ford Motor Co. announced Tuesday it has opened its sixth assembly plant in China, with a $760 million investment for the Changan Ford Hangzhou Plant.
DETROIT, MI - Ford Motor Co. announced Tuesday it has opened its sixth assembly plant in China, with a $760 million investment for the Changan Ford Hangzhou Plant.
The new facility increases the production capacity for Ford by 250,000 vehicles, and the Dearborn automaker said it will help meet growing demand across the country.
"This world-class facility will help us accelerate the delivery of high-quality, innovative products to our customers in China," Mark Fields, Ford president and CEO, said in a release. "The new 3-row Edge demonstrates Ford's commitment to producing quality, safe, fuel-efficient and smart vehicles."
The company said the new plant is an integral part of its goal to increase global sales by 45 to 55 percent to about 9.4 million vehicles per year by 2020. It brings Ford's total vehicle-making capacity in China to 1.4 million vehicles.
The Ford Edge is the first vehicle being produced at the Changan Ford Hangzhou Plant, and is part of Ford's plant to bring 15 new vehicles to Chinese market by 2015.
In February, Ford announced the addition of 400 jobs at its Oakville Assembly plant outside Toronto for production of the Edge.
The new hires are in addition to 1,000 positions added last year at the Canadian site, where Ford has invested about $563 million in a bid to make it one of the most advanced and competitive plants in the country.
The Edge will be exported to more than 100 countries. Ford said in February that enhancements at the Oakville site will allow the company to respond quickly to shifting international demand.
Since 2008, global demand for utility vehicles is up 88 percent, and the segment now accounts for 19 percent of the global automotive market, according to Ford.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter