China's automaker Jiangling Motors, a commercial van partner of Ford Motor, has announced a plan to invest 2.13 billion yuan ($147 mln) this year to build a new plant for capacity expansion and sales growth, media reported yesterday, citing the company's statement.

The new plant will be located at the Xiaolan industrial zone in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, where Jiangling Motors is based. The project is designed to have an annual capacity of 200,000 units of vehicles, with a maximum capacity of 300,000 units.

When its construction is completed in early 2013, the new plant will run at 77% of its capacity. Full capacity is expected to be reached in 2015, likely to generate revenue and total profit of 16.94 billion yuan and 1.37 billion yuan, respectively.

In the first half of this year, Jiangling Motors' vehicle output increased 61.66% from a year earlier to 84,068 units, and sales surged 65.7% to 88,363 units. The company aims to sell 170,000 vehicles this year, and 200,000 next year.

Ford's Transit produced by Jiangling Motors proved particularly popular commercial vehicles, taking the lead in China's high-end light commercial van segment.