Japan's Fuji Heavy to raise auto sales in Asia via GM network
( 2002-02-18 10:30 ) (7 )

Japanese automaker Fuji Heavy Industries will expand its subcompact vehicles sales in the rest of Asia, using the sales network General Motors Corp., Fuji's largest shareholder, a report said.

"By year-end, Fuji Heavy will start selling Impreza and Forester passenger cars in Thailand through GM's Auto World sales network," the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said, citing company sources.

"It will also sell similar vehicles in China via GM's Auto World dealerships, which the US auto giant is now preparing to build," it said.

Fuji, which makes Subaru-brand vehicles, has so far marketed Impreza, Forester and Legacy passengers on its own in Malaysia, Singapore, China and Taiwan.

Last summer, it started using GM's Auto World dealers to market the Forester and other vehicles in the Philippines and Indonesia, the Nihon Keizai said.

Fuji Heavy sold a total of some 5,000 vehicles in the rest of Asia last year. It expects the GM sales networks to help it double annual sales in the region to 10,000 vehicles in three years.