Ford was a bit slower than the competition to start focusing on the Chinese marketplace, but they’ve come around on that front; the automaker just opened its sixth plant in the country, which will produce a China-exclusive, lengthened, heightened version of the Ford Edge with an additional third row of seating.
This news comes by way of the Detroit Free Press, which reports that this $760 million Ford China plant will add about 250,000 units per annum to the carmaker’s production capacity in the country. That brings Ford China’s total capacity up to 1.4 million vehicles.
Ford CEO Mark Fields was on-hand for the start of production at the new Chinese plant, saying in a release that “this world-class facility will help us accelerate the delivery of high-quality, innovative products to our customers in China.” Ford China (actually “Changan Ford Mazda,” to be precise) has promised 15 vehicles for the Chinese marketplace by the end of 2015, including the new sixth-generation Mustang.
Sales for Ford China have proven strong so far, climbing 19 percent last year. The Free Press reports that this additional capacity could push the automaker into the number four slot among top-selling foreign marques, after Volkswagen, General Motors, and Nissan.
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