InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA, Philippines --Ford Motors is transferring local production of the Focus and Mazda 3 models to Thailand.
Officials said the company was moving assembly of the two models out of the Philippines becuase of high manufacturing costs in the country and its small market.
The move comes as Thailand, considered Southeast Asia's Detroit, has yet to fully recover from floods that disrupted supply chains of motor vehicle assemblers and electronics makers across the region. The break in the region's supply chain led to a four percent contraction in Philippine auto sales.
Ford was the Philippines' only auto exporter, and in 2010 shipped out 9,858 units, including the Focus, to sister companies in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The Aquino administration is no longer pursuing the Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Development Program drafted by the previous government. This as the Philippine auto industry has failed to expand its volume of completely built up (CBU) exports, with shipments abroad limited to parts such as wiring harness and transmissions.
