NEW YORK -- Ford Motor Co. plans to build a new assembly plant in China while Toyota Motor Co. will start selling an entry-level family car there, as the world's automakers pour more resources into the fast-growing Chinese car market amid weakness in their home countries, according to The Associated Press.

Ford said Friday it plans to spend $490 million on a third assembly plant in China. The factory will make the next-generation Focus compact car, which Ford plans to sell globally.

The announcement from the central Chinese city of Chongqing comes the day after the Dearborn, Mich., automaker unveiled a made-in-India compact car - part of a plan to boost sales in Asia, a region the automaker has hardly dented but is counting on to drive growth.

Meanwhile, an executive at Japan's Toyota announced plans Friday to introduce a cheap family car in China. Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo gave no details of the new model, but he said Toyota is also hoping to increase its dealerships base in China.

Toyota now has about 550 dealerships in China, including Lexus showrooms. By contrast, the automaker has about 1,400 dealerships in the U.S.