Foton considers acquisition of Ford’s plant in SP

China’s Beiqi Foton Motor Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned enterprise BAIC Group, is considering the acquisition of Ford Motor Co’s São Bernardo do Campo plant in São Paulo, according to Valor. Foton specializes in the production of buses and heavy vehicles.

The auto manufacturer had already planned a plant in Guaíba in Brazil’s south region; this acquisition could be an alternative, however, no decisions have been made according to Valor. DatamarNews reported in March that Brazilian automaker CAOA was in talks to buy Ford’s São Bernardo do Campo factory; however, there were two other parties interested in the acquisition.

According to Anfavea data (Brazil’s National Automobile Manufacturers Association), Brazil experienced a strong drop in total vehicle exports in the first two months of 2019, down 40.8% to 63,159 units compared to 106,718 units in the same months last year. However, the decline in exports did not impact production in Brazil, up 5% to 434,441 units, compared to 413,675 units produced in January and February last year.

The country’s truck production rose 15.5% to 16,442 units, from 14,487 units in the same period last year. However, truck exports slumped to 1,326 units in the first bimester of 2019, down 71% compared to 4,567 units in the same period last year.

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