Ford Philippines to hike exports by 10% this year

MANILA, Philippines - Ford Group Philippines said yesterday they will increase their exports by 10 percent this year as markets recover from the financial crisis.

Ford exported 7,200 units of completely built units (CBUs) in 2009.

Outgoing Ford Group Phils. president Richard Baker said that in terms of exports, they expect this year to be their second best year after 2005.

Ford expects to produce 15,000 units this year.

Ford’s plant in the country produces Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and Escape.

At the same time, Baker said the approval of the revised Motor Vehicle Development Plan (MVDP) “is a good step in the right direction.”

He said the MVDP will encourage more exports and the manufacturing firm will be better integrated. Baker said there may be investments in order to increase the efficiency in order to take advantage of the bigger opportunities in vehicle manufacturing.

Baker noted that the domestic market for automobiles is only 130,000 but for ASEAN exports it goes up to two million.

At the same time, Baker said they expect sales to grow by 20 percent this year. The expected growth will be anchored by the strong economy coupled by the introduction of new models.

This year, Ford will be launching its first B Sedan the Fiesta. It will compete directly with Honda’s City and Jazz and the Toyota Vios. The three variants control 90 percent of the market.

First quarter performance grew by 20 percent to 1,926 units when compared to the same period a year ago.

FGP’s strong first quarter was supported by Ford vehicles sales that increased 14 percent from the same period last year and Mazda sales that went up by 38 percent year-or-year.

March sales of Ford and Mazda vehicles increased by 26 percent over February, and 19 percent year-or-year. This strong performance was powered by a refreshed FGP portfolio featuring products that are leading in fuel economy, quality, safety, smart design and value.

Meanwhile, Baker who will be heading to China, will be replaced by Randy Krieger. Krieger was the president of Ford in Japan.