MEXICO CITY: Ford shipped its first batch of cars from the once-neglected Guaymas port near its plant in the northern Mexican state of Sonora in a project that, if fully launched, could cut the US automaker’s logistics costs by 30%, according to the state governor.

The initial shipment of pickups and Broncos, headed for Chile, is part of a broader revamp of the Guaymas port, an infrastructure project headed by Mexico’s outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Ford has long been trucking its cars nearly 2,000km over land from Hermosillo to the port of Lazaro Cardenas in the state of Michoacan, Sonora governor Alfonso Durazo said in an interview.

Durazo described the long haul as a “logistical tragedy” that could easily be fixed by shipping from Guaymas.

Ford Mexico director of manufacturing Ricardo Anaya said: “This is the first time we can utilise the port following the investment in its modernisation and expansion”.

 - Reuters