BEIQI Foton Motor Co, China's biggest maker of commercial vehicles, plans to buy an affiliate's factory for 9.3 million yuan (US$1.3 million) to ensure supplies of minibuses and minivans.

The truck maker will also take on 498 million yuan of debt from Beijing Foton Environmental Protection Dynamics Co as part of the deal, it said in a Shanghai Stock Exchange statement yesterday. The plant, which now makes View minibuses and MP-X minivans for Beiqi Foton, is able to build 100,000 vehicles a year.