Ford's China commercial vehicle JV to build Ford diesel engines

[kscarbel]

Automotive News / May 28, 2013

Jiangling Motors Corp. (JMC), Ford Motor Co.'s commercial vehicle joint venture in China, broke ground for an engine plant in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province.

The US$82 million facility will build Ford's diesel engines for heavy trucks to be produced at Jiangling's newly acquired Taiyuan Changan heavy truck plant.

The plant will launch production in the second half of 2015. Initially it will build up to 10,000 engines a year.

Last year, JMC acquired heavy truckmaker Taiyuan Changan Heavy Truck. The joint venture also will build Ford-branded trucks there.

Ford joint-ventured with JMC in 1997 to build Ford Transit vans. Ford increased its stake to (a still modest) 31.5 percent in 2013.

Located in east China's Jiangxi Province, the JV also builds JMC-branded SUVs, pickups, vans and light trucks.

Ford also has a passenger car joint venture with Changan Automobile Co. in Chongqing.

Note: When they say “diesel engines for heavy trucks”, they’re talking about the Ford Otosan “Ecotorq” engine, a 7.3 liter 260hp powerplant (24-valve in-line 6-cylinder – not a Powerstroke) in production at Ford Otosan (Turkey) since 2003.

Obviously this 7.3L motor isn’t a heavy truck engine, and China is very much a heavy truck market with loads ranging from 97,000 to 155,000 pounds. Since JMC’s newly acquired Taiyuan Changan Heavy Truck unit primarily builds heavy trucks (MAN F2000-based trucks with updated Steyr-design engines), it would seem the Ford Otosan truck range will target China's large medium truck and “baby 8” market segment.

At any rate, between Turkey and Brazil, and now China, Ford is cautiously becoming a global truckmaker again.

[Red Horse]

Automotive News / May 28, 2013

Jiangling Motors Corp. (JMC), Ford Motor Co.'s commercial vehicle joint venture in China, broke ground for an engine plant in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province.

The US$82 million facility will build Ford's diesel engines for heavy trucks to be produced at Jiangling's newly acquired Taiyuan Changan heavy truck plant.

The plant will launch production in the second half of 2015. Initially it will build up to 10,000 engines a year.

Last year, JMC acquired heavy truckmaker Taiyuan Changan Heavy Truck. The joint venture also will build Ford-branded trucks there.

Ford joint-ventured with JMC in 1997 to build Ford Transit vans. Ford increased its stake to (a still modest) 31.5 percent in 2013.

Located in east China's Jiangxi Province, the JV also builds JMC-branded SUVs, pickups, vans and light trucks.

Ford also has a passenger car joint venture with Changan Automobile Co. in Chongqing.

Note: When they say “diesel engines for heavy trucks”, they’re talking about the Ford Otosan “Ecotorq” engine, a 7.3 liter 260hp powerplant (24-valve in-line 6-cylinder – not a Powerstroke) in production at Ford Otosan (Turkey) since 2003.

Obviously this 7.3L motor isn’t a heavy truck engine, and China is very much a heavy truck market with loads ranging from 97,000 to 155,000 pounds. Since JMC’s newly acquired Taiyuan Changan Heavy Truck unit primarily builds heavy trucks (based on the MAN F2000), it would seem the Ford Otosan truck range will target China's large medium truck and “baby 8” market segment.

At any rate, between Turkey and Brazil, and now China, Ford is cautiously becoming a global truckmaker again.

Interesting. Again, will any of this activity rub off on the medium replacements to be built at Avon Lake once the plug is pulled on Blue Diamond. Then again, as nothing has leaked, perhaps that committment to the OCAW to bring mediums to Avon Lake is jeopardy??

[kscarbel]

There is no relationship between this China truck and engine production specifically for the China market, and whatever (medium) truck plans Ford has for the U.S. market. China is no longer an inexpensive place to produce and quality control remains a problem. Ford is building in China for China because of prohibitively high truck import tariffs (which the U.S. also has).