Ford . . . made in China

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LISA NAPOLI: Ford keeps on looking for ways to reduce its costs. So it’s not going to buy American. From Beijing, Ruth Kirchner says the struggling automaker’s going to double its purchase of Chinese-made auto parts.

RUTH KIRCHNER: Chairman William Ford Junior said the carmaker is going to buy up to $3 billion worth of auto parts in China.

That’s almost double the amount Ford bought last year.

The company said the quality of the Chinese suppliers was improving but costs are a lot lower.

An average manufacturing job in china pays about 10 percent of an equivalent job in the U.S.

Ford wants do cut $6 billion in annual costs by 2010.

In Beijing, I’m Ruth Kirchner for Marketplace.