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Volvo Cars Starts Production Of The Volvo
S40 In China
Volvo
S40
The Volvo Car Corporation
will start producing cars in China. The new Volvo S40 will be built
at Volvo Cars’ partner Changan Ford’s production plant in Chongqing.
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Volvo Cars’
technical team in Chongqing have worked together with purchasers
from Changan Ford to select local suppliers for a number
of car parts. The aim is to meet the Chinese government’s
requirements for local production to its full extent.
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“This is an important
step forward towards a firmer presence and a brighter future in
the Chinese car market. We are convinced that the launch of the
S40 produced in China will be successful, both from an industrial
point of view as well as from a commercial angle,” says Fredrik
Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation at a press conference
in Beijing, China.
Boosts competitiveness
“Local production
is the key to remain competitive in China. We are facing a scenario
where the import duty is levelling out on 25 percent and our main
competitors are already producing their volume models locally,”
says Fredrik Arp.
Volvo Cars has
been studying Chinese production possibilities for quite some time
– and the demands on a partner have been very high.
“A Volvo must be
a Volvo car in all aspects, no matter where it is produced. After
working with Changan Ford for over a year, we have ensured that
their factory, co-operating with our own experts, will meet our
high demands on the Volvo quality,” says Fredrik Arp.
Volvo Cars is aiming
for an annual production volume of approximately 10,000 units.
Life in the
fast lane
Volvo Cars is moving
in the “fast lane” at the moment. Seven new car models will be introduced
between 2006 and 2009.
The C70 convertible
was revealed in Frankfurt last year. It will be launched in China
within a year.
After that Volvo
Cars showed the C30 Design Concept in Detroit in January, paving
the way for the real Volvo C30 premiere in Paris in September.
A couple of weeks
ago, Volvo Cars unveiled a completely new generation of the luxurious
S80 sedan.
“The all-new S80
is pure Scandinavian Luxury and we are convinced that it will be
very successful also in the Chinese market,” says Fredrik Arp.
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