ST. PETERSBURG — Ford Motor, located in the Leningrad region town of Vsevolozhsk, plans to build 119,000 automobiles this year, a 20.2 percent increase on the 99,000 vehicles it produced in 2011, president and CEO Ted Cannis told reporters Tuesday, Interfax reported.

The company plans to promote the Mondeo line, Cannis added. Ford Sollers' vice president for marketing, Mark Simpson, said plans for this year include selling some 140,000 vehicles in Russia — both imported and locally assembled.

The Leningrad region plant turns out the Ford Focus as well as Mondeo sedans. It employs 2,700 workers.

(MT)