Phase one of the Jinlong Automobile Co. Ltd., believed a leading bus factory in the world with an eventual output of 13,000 coaches a year, is expected to begin operation in March in Xiamen, a city in east China's Fujian Province, according to sources with the municipal government.

Built at a cost of 200 million yuan (about 24.1 million U.S. dollars), the bus factory has a designed production capacity of 6,000 units a year following completion of the first phase of construction next month.

By 2010 when the second phase of construction is completed, total production capacity is expected to climb to 13,000 units a year. Its annual output value is estimated to be 20 billion yuan (about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars).

The factory will produce seven-meter to 13.7-meter long vehicles. Large coaches will account for 60 percent of the total output while mini-buses will account for the remainder of production.

Source: Xinhua