Body.
SHANGHAI, China – Joe Hinrichs, President, Asia Pacific and Africa, delivered the keynote speech at the 2011 Automotive News China Conference on April 20.
The 2011 Automotive News China Conference coincided with the Shanghai Auto Show. Leading executives from major automakers and their suppliers in China were invited to discuss growth dynamics in the world’s biggest auto market. The theme of this year’s Automotive News China Conference was “Coming of age in China: How global companies can prosper; how Chinese companies can go global.”
During his 20-minute presentation, Hinrichs spoke about Ford's growth strategy in the Asia Pacific and Africa region, especially China. He discussed how the company is taking advantage of local and regional industry trends, and how Ford is meeting customers' needs by developing affordable, more fuel efficient vehicles. Ford expects 70 percent of its growth in the next ten years to come from its Asia Pacific and Africa region.
“Together with our partners, we are leveraging the strength of the One Ford plan and our global platforms to bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, reinforcing our commitment to offer a full portfolio of vehicles for our Chinese customers," he said. "Our new lineup will significantly strengthen Ford's penetration in existing segments and drive new growth in others. The 15 new vehicles are part of Ford’s plans to introduce 50 new products and powertrains to the Asia Pacific region in the next four years.”
Hinrichs also talked about Ford's plan to double the size of its professional workforce in China, adding more than 1,200 jobs and more than doubling the number of Chinese dealerships. He also introduced industry executives to Ford's New Energy Vehicle (NEV) technology strategy, informing them of Ford's plan to have an NEV demo fleet in China, starting this year.
Joe brought the same enthusiasm and energy in the speech about Ford's growth in APA as he did in last week's APA town hall meeting.
"It's an exciting time to be at Ford in APA," he said.