The Ford Lio Ho Motor Co., the local subsidiary of Ford Motor of the U.S., recently introduced its 2008 All New Escape sport utility vehicle (SUV) and announced that it would export the new model to Russia beginning in the second quarter of the year.

Ford Lio Ho president Jeffery Nemeth reported that he plans to ship more than 2,000 of the SUVs to Russia in the first year, making the company Taiwan`s biggest exporter of assembled automobiles for the third year in a row with total shipments of more than 10,000 units. It will also be the first to export assembled autos to an European country.



Nemeth said that he met the president of Ford Russia at a Mazda plant in Hiroshima years ago, and intensive face-to-face talks led to the current export deal. With Russia`s economy growing rapidly and auto sales there booming (sales of imported vehicles reached 1.2 million units last year), the opportunities are practically limitless.

Ford Lio Ho has already begun exporting the Escape and its twin, the Mazda Tribute, to such countries as Japan, New Zealand, and Australia through Ford`s global sales channels. Thanks to their high quality and good performance, these SUVs have enjoyed growing sales in overseas markets.

The Ford Lio Ho president predicted that Taiwan`s domestic car market would gradually recover following the presidential election in March, with new models stimulating sales. He predicted that new-car sales in Taiwan would reach 340,000 units this year-about the same as 2007-with his company capturing a 7.6% share of the total.

Growing Exports

The rapid weakening of Taiwan`s auto market in the past two years has prompted numerous local automakers to press their foreign technical partners for more export opportunities. For example, the China Motor Corp. (CMC), which assembles Mitsubishi and Chrysler models here, predicted that its export volume would increase to 6,000 units this year, up from 4,000-plus in 2007.

CMC vice president Huang Chung-chou said that his company currently exports several models, including Mitsubishi Zinger commercial/recreational van, Verica and Veryca mini commercial vans, Grunder medium sedans, and Dodge Delicas, to a number of overseas markets.

The Yulon Nissan Motor Co., which imports and assembles Nissan models, recently won an order from Japan for 5,000 Nissan Cabstar 3.5-ton diesel light trucks to be shipped to Mexico this year. The company also exports about 200 Nissan Serena recreational vans to the Philippines every year.

Kuozui Motors Ltd., which makes Toyota automobiles in Taiwan, recently announced that it had received permission from Toyota in Japan to export several models to Toyota`s strategic markets in 2009.


(by Quincy Liang)