LAGGING BEHIND GM,FORD EXPANDS NEW PLANT IN CHINA

       Ford and its Chinese partner announced yesterday they will build a third plant in China as the US automaker struggles to impreivove its weak performance in teh world's strongest market.
       Ford will run the new US$490 million (Bt16 billion) plant is south western Chongqing through Changan Ford Mazda, its joint Venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile and Japan's Mazda Motor, the company said.
       The plant, due to open in 2012, will produce Ford's Focus copact car with an intiial capacity for 150,000 vehicles a year, the US auto giant said.
       The New facility will boost Ford's and Mazda's combined annual production capacity to 600,000 vehicles from 447,000 in China - where it is lagging behind US rival and local market leader General Motors, Ford said.
       GM's partnerships and joint ventures give it a total capacity of 1.29 milion vehicles a year, including low-cost micro vans.
       Ford ranks number 12 in terms of sales in China, according to analysts JD Power and Associates, lagging far behind GM, Volkswagen, Hyundai Motor Company and Toyota Motor Company - China's top four automakers by sales.
       Ford sold 197,212 vehicles in the first half of the year, up 14 per cent from a year earlier but hte growht was dwarfed by GM, whic hshipped 814,442 units in the same period, up 38 per cent year on year.
       China's total vehicle sales, helped by Beijing's efforts to stimulate domestic consumption, outstripped those of the United States for teh first time in Junuary - making the Asian giant the world's largest car market.
       Total vehicle sales in China for the first half of the year were 6.09 million units, up 17.7 per cent year-on year, according to the China Association of Automoblie Munafacturers.
       The palnt, due to open in 2012, will produce Ford's Focus compact car with an initial capacity for 150,000 vehicles a year.