Delphi's Asia-Pacific sales hit $1.4 billion

Delphi's Asia-Pacific sales hit $1.4 billion

SINGAPORE (AFP): U.S.-based Delphi Automotive Systems, a
leading supplier of automotive components, said here Friday it
posted a 40 percent increase in sales to US$1.4 billion in the
Asia-Pacific region last year.

"The Asia-Pacific region still promises the strongest
automotive industry and market growth in the world," Delphi
regional president William Ebbert said in a statement issued in
Singapore, the company's ASEAN headquarters.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam.

Delphi, headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan, reputedly the
world's largest and most diverse supplier of automotive
components, posted total worldwide sales of US$27.8 billion in
1996.

The company has 10 manufacturing plants and 18 joint ventures
in the Asia-Pacific region.

Delphi said it set up a liaison office in Bangkok last year to
support expected growth in Thailand's auto manufacturing
industry.

In addition, a new catalytic converter production facility was
set up in Shah Alam, south of Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur,
while construction began on a new manufacturing plant for wiring
systems in South Korea.