Newsroom
Search:
News Article - Automotive
FORD CONSIDERS INVESTMENT IN LOCAL OPERATION
Posted on: Thursday, 10 February 2005. Article source: The Herald
The Ford Motor Company of SA’s Port Elizabeth motor plant could be in line for further investment if the company receives enough demand for left-hand vehicles.
The company said that it was considering opportunities to produce left-hand-drive vehicles.
Company spokesman Craig von Essen said the local plant would be in line for investment should it start producing left-hand drive Ford Bantam bakkies, which is supplied with the Rocam engine that is produced at its PE plant.
He said other potential left-hand- drive models would include light commercial vehicles such as the Ford Ranger and the Mazda Drifter.
“I have to stress, we would be more inclined to pursue right-hand drive countries in sub-Saharan Africa than we would left-hand-drive countries because left-hand-drive vehicles add a lot more complexity to the plant.
“We would obviously prefer to look at the right-hand-drive opportunities first, because that is what we build.
“There is critical mass required of between 15 000 and 20 000 units before we could really move to the complexity of left-hand-drive vehicles.”
Von Essen said the timeframe or potential for producing left-hand- drive passenger vehicles would be very difficult to call until the company had done a study on it.
“In terms of the group, the organisation is always looking at it.”
He explained that the company has a unit that analyses worldwide demand to see how best and from which market to supply demand.
“Our worldwide direct market organisation sits here in Pretoria and they look after all those countries north of us that are left-hand drive and right-hand drive.
“But they would still get left-hand drives from countries that build left-hand-drive vehicles, and where they can they will source right-hand- drive vehicles from us or from wherever they can get them in the most cost-effective manner.
“So they are looking at opportunities the whole time and we, as the manufacturing company in South Africa, together with them, are trying to establish those opportunities so we can work together with them to meet demand for vehicles.”
He said the right-hand-drive market would remain the core focus, but that “if a left-hand-drive project had to fall into our laps or if we found we had the capacity for it, we would certainly do it.
But a timeframe on that is very difficult to determine.”
The company said that it was considering opportunities to produce left-hand-drive vehicles.
Company spokesman Craig von Essen said the local plant would be in line for investment should it start producing left-hand drive Ford Bantam bakkies, which is supplied with the Rocam engine that is produced at its PE plant.
He said other potential left-hand- drive models would include light commercial vehicles such as the Ford Ranger and the Mazda Drifter.
“I have to stress, we would be more inclined to pursue right-hand drive countries in sub-Saharan Africa than we would left-hand-drive countries because left-hand-drive vehicles add a lot more complexity to the plant.
“We would obviously prefer to look at the right-hand-drive opportunities first, because that is what we build.
“There is critical mass required of between 15 000 and 20 000 units before we could really move to the complexity of left-hand-drive vehicles.”
Von Essen said the timeframe or potential for producing left-hand- drive passenger vehicles would be very difficult to call until the company had done a study on it.
“In terms of the group, the organisation is always looking at it.”
He explained that the company has a unit that analyses worldwide demand to see how best and from which market to supply demand.
“Our worldwide direct market organisation sits here in Pretoria and they look after all those countries north of us that are left-hand drive and right-hand drive.
“But they would still get left-hand drives from countries that build left-hand-drive vehicles, and where they can they will source right-hand- drive vehicles from us or from wherever they can get them in the most cost-effective manner.
“So they are looking at opportunities the whole time and we, as the manufacturing company in South Africa, together with them, are trying to establish those opportunities so we can work together with them to meet demand for vehicles.”
He said the right-hand-drive market would remain the core focus, but that “if a left-hand-drive project had to fall into our laps or if we found we had the capacity for it, we would certainly do it.
But a timeframe on that is very difficult to determine.”
Article Tags: No tags defined
Podcast
ECDC Xhosa Radio Ad
