Ford shops parts plants to Chinese

By Alysha Webb, Automotive News

Shanghai, China - Ford Motor Co. is shopping some North American parts operations to a major Chinese supplier, Wanxiang Group, say sources familiar with both companies.

Executives of Ford-controlled Automotive Components Holdings LLC visited Wanxiang executives at the company's headquarters in the east China city of Hangzhou.

Automotive Components owns 15 plants that were transferred in October from Visteon Corp. to Ford. The sources did not say which operations might interest Wanxiang.

Della DiPietro, a spokeswoman for Automotive Components, says Automotive Components is talking to many parties interested in acquiring company assets. She declined to comment on Wanxiang.

Automotive Components makes glass, climate-control parts, instrument panels, chassis components, lights and other parts. Its factories in the United States and Mexico have 13 800 workers. Ford plans to liquidate Automotive Components after it sells or closes its factories.

Wanxiang (pronounced wahn-shong) had 2004 global revenue of $2600 million and 31 800 employees worldwide. It manufactures brakes, drive shafts and U-joints. Wanxiang already owns stakes in six US manufacturing operations.

In December, Chairman Lu Guanqiu told Automotive News he is talking to Delphi Corp. about purchasing some of its US assets.

From Automotive News (A Crain publication)