Auto Special: Changan Ford inspires students to reach their dreams

Changan Ford is following its brand promise of "Go Further" in China by sponsoring college debates, offering driving skills training on campus and nurturing young athletes.

"We strongly believe that young people are the lifeblood of the country - and of any great company that wants to be successful," said Marin Burela, president and CEO of the joint venture between Ford Motor Co and China's Changan Automobile Co.

"Our success comes from your success. It is our responsibility to nurture, encourage, and support the ongoing development of young talent."

Changan Ford CEO Marin Burela appears with Zhejiang University students, above left, and participants in the 2015 auto-themed debate sponsored by the joint venture, right. Photos provided to China Daily

Burela made his remarks to students at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou after the 2015 auto-themed debating competition began on May 10.

Started in 2006, the annual event will this year involve teams from 27 major universities across the country and many students are also expected to attend the Ford Driving Skills for Life campaign.

Changan Ford started the training session in 2009 in an effort to advocate for road safety and improve fuel economy.

By the end of 2014, the campaign had benefited more than 21,000 people in 270 Chinese cities. Another 4,800 drivers will receive training this year, according to Changan Ford.

"We will always remain committed to our brand promise of 'Go Further', by serving the communities in which we live and work, and supporting young Chinese people in the pursuit of their dreams and aspirations," Burela said.

"By supporting this event, we strive to fuel further innovation and upward mobility in China, by championing causes that bring harmony and prosperity to our communities."

Burela also encouraged college students to "go beyond yourself to become the captains of industry, to lead your country from the engine room of growth and innovation, further along the path of prosperity".

Rapid growth

He shared his dream, saying he hoped to grow Changan Ford into a respected company when he arrived in China five years ago.

Thanks to the efforts of Burela and his colleagues, the joint venture has become one of the fastest-growing automakers in China.

Changan Ford ranked sixth in terms of sales volume in 2014. It sold more than 800,000 vehicles that year, an 18 percent rise from 2013, almost three times the Chinese auto industry's average growth rate.

It moved 291,066 vehicles in the first four months of 2015, up 11 percent from the same period a year earlier. The automaker said the popularity of its SUV Kuga was a major driving force of its sales. More than 13,200 Kuga SUVs were sold in April, a 19 percent rise year-on-year.

Changan Ford's sales network has also been expanding rapidly in recent years. Statistics show that its number of dealerships hit 800 by the end of last year, more than double the number in 2010, with many of the new agents located in smaller cities.

The joint venture is also expanding its capacity and can now produce 1.4 million units a year in China. The addition of its newly acquired plant in Harbin, the capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, will scale up that capacity to 1.6 million units, according to Changan Ford.

The product portfolio is also growing rapidly at the joint venture. For some time, Chinese customers equated Ford with Focus, as the model was one of few cars the joint venture offered in the Chinese market. Now it has 10 models from sedans to SUVs for its Chinese customers.

Having become a well-established player, Changan Ford is continuing to further its dream in the industry.

"We're aspiring to be among the top three car companies in China," Burela told China Daily.

"To realize such a dream requires not only an enlarged production capacity but listening to the voice of the Chinese customers and offering models that they truly value."

He attributed the joint venture's rapid growth over the past few years to exactly that - listening to its customers - and cited the example of Focus, which has been the best-selling vehicle in China for three consecutive years.

"In fact, if you offer both good products and good service to customers, they will decide your ranking," he said.

"Our journey of realizing our dreams has just begun. We will associate more with society and give back more to society. That is the responsibility of a great company like Ford."

In addition to realizing its own dream, Changan Ford is helping realize the dreams of others, which is believed, in Chinese culture, to be a virtue of the cultured social elite.

"Let me tell you one of the many initiatives we have for young people, the one that many of you might care about - football, something that is so dear to the hearts of the Chinese people."

Changan Ford works with CFA and CSL to develop and train young Chinese footballers to an international level.

Last December, in Hangzhou, hundreds of young players played their best at the Changan Ford Future Star Cup and 24 players were selected to travel to England to meet and to be trained by world-class players and coaches at a summer football camp.

"We strongly believe that with their continuous efforts, one day China will host the World Cup and one day China will hold the World Cup in its hand," Burela said.

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/18/2015 page19)