Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. will apply to Chinese authorities this year for a license to produce cars jointly with China Guizhou Aviation Industry Corp., the president of the Japanese automaker said Monday.The company also announced that it will provide support for German automaker Porsche AG in Japan in the areas of sales and other services, such as repairs. Fuji Heavy Industries has been providing technical assistance to China Guizhou Aviation Industry since 1992 and will start producing auto parts at its joint venture plant in Guizhou as early as February.At a press conference, Fuji Heavy Industries President Takeshi Tanaka expressed hope the firm will be able to step up its relationship with its Chinese partner and start producing passenger cars in the near future."Although we don't know when we can actually start producing cars, we would like to submit an application this year to the Chinese government for the joint venture," he said. Once they obtain approval to start car production from the Chinese government, they hope to produce more than 10,000 cars annually, according to the firm.Commenting on the sales support for Porsche in Japan, Tanaka said the company's sales agent Tokyo Subaru Motors Corp. will start selling Porsche brand cars in June. The company will eventually expand the number of its sales agents for Porsche cars.
