With the first locally assembled Chrysler Group vehicle expected to be commercially available in June, collaboration between the nation's No. 2 automaker China Motor Corp (
"Plans are still being studied now and there are possibilities that we will locally assemble a second vehicle from the Chrysler Group next year," said Huang Wen-cheng (
Huang spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony at Yangmei (楊梅) Township in Taoyuan County, where the first locally produced Town & Country minivan rolled off the production line.
The automaker obtained permission from DaimlerChrysler AG to locally assemble Town & Country minivans in December 2004. Huang said the new projects will include a mid-sized sedan, but refused to offer more details.
Tom LaSorda, chief executive officer and president of the Chrysler Group, said that the introduction of the minivan represents the group's long-term presence in Taiwan, and cooperation with China Motor signifies its ambitious growth strategies in Asia.
"The new Town & Country is our major product in Taiwan and it will grow our sales by six-fold here this year," LaSorda said.
The Chrysler group sold a total of 575 vehicles in Taiwan last year.
Sales of Town & Country minivans are expected to reach at least 400 units a month after they are formally introduced here on June 3, said Matt Chang (
Price tags on the 3.3-liter minivans will fall in the range of NT$900,000 (US$27,704) to NT$1.3 million, much cheaper than the NT$1.7 million for imported units, Chang said.
These locally assembled models will mean that China Motor's production capacity will be boosted, he added.
According to Huang, the new Town & Country, which is tailored to the local market, will be produced in China by China Motor's affiliate South East Motor (Fujian) (
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