CHINA South Automobile Co, parent of the Chinese partner of Ford Motor Co and Mazda Motor Corp, has submitted an application to the nation's securities regulator seeking approval for an initial public offering.

The company has no timetable for the IPO and hasn't decided where the shares will be sold, General Manager Xu Bin said in an interview with Bloomberg News yesterday in the east China's city of Nanjing. China South filed its application with the China Securities Regulatory Commission. The company hasn't said how much it may raise from the planned initial share sale.