Changan Ford Automobile Co., a joint venture between Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., and U.S. automaker Ford, has made a breakthrough in car exports.

A total of 752 units of Changan Ford's SUV model Ecosport has been shipped to the Philippines, the company's first whole-vehicle export, it said Sunday.

Changan Ford based in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality is Ford's largest production base outside the United Sates. The company has a production capacity of 1 million automobiles, 1 million gearboxes and 1.2 million engines. It sold 827,000 vehicles in China in 2017.

He Chaobing, executive vice-president of Changan Ford, said an upgraded model of Ford's flagship sedan Focus produced in Chongqing would be exported to North America next year.

With an automobile output of 2.99 million units last year, Chongqing topped China's auto production bases. Both traditional and new energy car makers based in the city have been exploring exports for sustaining growth.