China is the world’s largest market for heavy trucks. People who are suicidal enough to have personal experience with Chinese highways will readily agree. Nearly 1 million units of the heavy (and usually blue) units were sold last year, more than in North America, Europe and South America combined. Ford wants a chunk of this interesting market.
Ford owns 30 percent of China’s Jiangling. Jiangling is a major Chinese light commercial vehicle maker that also makes the Ford Transit for China. Jiangling (and with them Ford) wants to “expand into the country’s heavy-truck business by taking over Taiyuan Changan Heavy Truck Co.” as Reuters reports.
Taiyuan’s current owners, China Changan Automobile and China South Industries Group are affiliated with Chongqing Changan Automobile, Ford’s carmaking partner in China.
If Jiangling tinkles a bell, then you are either very familiar with the Chinese truck business. Or you remember that Jiangling was first to try to export Chinese cars to Europe. In 2005. Jiangling brought its Landwind SUV to the Frankfurt Auto Show, much to the horror of the German auto industry. A crash test was arranged by the ADAC, the German equivalent of the AAA. The car failed miserably, the video became a hit on Youtube, and turned into an example for all that’s wrong with Chinese cars.
In 2010, Jiangling tried again and brought its CV9 Minivan to Europe. The market wasn’t necessarily clamoring for Chinese minivans, and not much came of the project.
I wonder how long after they start that Herr. Spaltmass will show up with something from MAN or Scania, or Dr Z will show with a Daimler or Freightliner… Navistar should be begging Ford, possibly via BlueFiamond JV, to help them find some volume in China before they collapse from lack of US revenue. I don’t mean BUX from us to china, but rather licensing and semi ckd approach.
Scania is already in China. I do not think they move considerable volume though, as they are sort of upmarket.
I think Ford’s experience with Navistar Diesel engines and the injector bodies spontaneously ejecting from the cylinders in their F250’s was the end of anything Ford/Navistar.
Isn’t navistar still building the F650/750 in mexico on fords behalf?
MAN Cabs are built under Licence by the MANY Chinese truck builders. A staggering number.
Cabovers are the big thing in Chinese trucks. Navistar has developed with Mahindra a Cabover for the Indian and Brazilian Market, Still competition from established Chinese truck makers is pretty fierce
I do not expect Ford to have much of a presence in the Chinese market.
Low volume trucks perhaps, but the profitable part was building the engines for Ford’s volume sellers, Navistar no longer has this. When Continental bought siemens automotive they made Navistar take quite a few of the siemens VDO plants(VDO was 50/50 JV b/t seimens and navistar), one of the ones they made navistar take was the plant that produced diesel injectors with Ford as it’s primary business.
Crew cab trucks for the Peoples Liberation Army. That would be a sweet deal.
Are they taking to China a COE similar to the ones they sell in Brazil?