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Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co., the second-biggest U.S. automaker, will open 66 dealerships this year in China as it aims for record sales in the world’s largest auto market.
Ford opened 40 new dealers in north and west China today as part of a plan to add 100 new outlets this year, it said in an e-mailed statement. The company will also introduce a new sport- utility vehicle next month in the country, it said.
The automaker, based in Dearborn, Michigan, is expanding in China and India where rising disposable incomes and economic growth spur demand for automobiles. Ford expects 70 percent of its growth in the next 10 years to come from the Asia-Pacific region and Africa, the company said.
Ford and its joint venture Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co. are building a new plant in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing and also plan to set up a new engine plant there. In India, the automaker invested $500 million this year to double production capacity and started selling a new small car.
Ford’s sales in China this year through October rose 39 percent to 468,754 vehicles, according to the statement. The company plans to have 340 dealerships in the nation by the end of 2010.
The company expects record sales this year in China, the overall Asia-Pacific region and Africa, Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s regional president, said in the statement.
Car sales in China rose at the fastest pace in six months in October, while in India, passenger vehicle sales rose 38 percent to a record.
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