Carmaker Ford India today said that it has started exporting petrol engines from its Chennai unit to Thailand.
The company is also working towards exporting them to other parts of the world, including the Asia-Pacific and African regions.
The company exported its first batch of 1.4 litre and 1.6 litre high-compression petrol engines from the Maraimalai Nagar unit, near Chennai, to sister facility AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT).
"The first shipment of 1,000 petrol engines is a significant first step in our goal to become a major production and export hub of diesel and petrol engines," Ford India President and Managing Director Michael Boneham said in a statement.
Besides the AAT facility, Ford India will export engines to other Ford plants in the Asia-Pacific region. It already caters to facilities in South Africa.
"The number of engines exported will increase to 2,500 per month, and will continue to build as the projected export demand gradually increases through the year-end and into 2011," the company said.
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Ford India has been exporting diesel powertrains from the Indian engine facility, with a production capacity of 2.5 lakh units per annum, to South Africa since 2008.
The Indian subsidiary of the US car major is also exploring export opportunities for vehicles and powertrain components to markets in the Asia Pacific and African regions.
"We are excited about the significant growth opportunities for our engine export programme, and proud of Ford India's contribution to the development of the local auto industry and the economy overall," Boneham said.