Ford plans to build two centers in China

According to the local government, Ford Motor Co. plans to set up its own product research and development center and operations center in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province.

The centers will be the development of the Ford Research and Engineering Center, one of the company's nine largest product development centers in the world, established in Nanjing in 2007.

Ning Chen, president and CEO of Ford China, said the centers should provide full support to Ford's marketing strategy in China.

The US manufacturer has unveiled the Ford China 2.0 conversion plan in an effort to accelerate its restructuring and focus more on the Chinese market.

This plan will help Ford launch more than 30 new Ford and Lincoln cars designed specifically for Chinese customers over the next three years, including more than 10 electric cars.

Nanjing has attracted a large number of car and parts manufacturers in recent years and has built a complete industrial chain covering manufacturing, research and development, sales and logistics. Last year, the city's auto production amounted to 900,000 units.