Ford set an all-time sales record in China last month, with passenger car sales increasing by 54 percent, and total sales increasing by 35 percent compared to September 2011.
“Achieving record sales makes us more committed than ever to provide consumers with a full family of high quality, fuel-efficient, safe and smart vehicles that they want and value,” said Dave Schoch, Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor China. “The overwhelming response from our customers reinforces our aggressive expansion in China, and is so gratifying for the dedicated and hard working men and women at Ford and our partners. The market is increasingly competitive, and we continue building on a solid foundation for future growth over the long-term.”
Ford China and its partners sold 59,570 wholesale units in September, a 35 percent increase compared to the same time last year. In the first three quarters of 2012, Ford sold 428,083 wholesale units, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year.
Ford China’s passenger car sales—which include vehicles produced at Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Ltd. (CFMA) and imported Ford Edge SUVs—achieved an all-time record high with 44,102 wholesale units sold, up 54 percent from last year.
Ford will introduce 15 new vehicles in China by 2015—with the New Focus being the first of the 15 vehicles. Strong sales for the New Focus sets the stage for 2013, when Ford is set to introduce three highly anticipated SUVs to China—the EcoSport, the Kuga and the Explorer—as well as Focus ST.
In China, Ford is undergoing its largest expansion in half-a-century, building five new manufacturing facilities, and bringing the storied Lincoln brand to China in 2014. Ford is doubling production capacity, doubling retail capacity, and doubling salaried jobs in China.
Outstanding sales of both the New and Classic Ford Focus were the primary reason for record September sales. In the first three quarters Ford sold nearly 190,000 wholesale units of the Focus nameplate in China, with 33,587 sold in September alone. Last month marked another milestone for the Focus in China: more than 1 million units have been sold since its introduction in 2005.
According to IHS Automotive, the New Focus became the best-selling single nameplate in the world for the first half of 2012, with 489,616 Focus sedans and hatchbacks sold worldwide.
CFMA, Ford’s passenger car joint venture in China, also set an all-time sales record this month. Sales of Ford-brand passenger cars topped 40,000 for the very first time, with 43,501 wholesale units in September, up 55 percent from last year. Strong September sales surpassed an already record-breaking August by more than 10,000 wholesale units, when CFMA sold 33,017 wholesale cars.
Despite the contracting commercial vehicle sector, sales at Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), Ford’s commercial vehicle investment in China, held steady, selling 15,468 wholesale compared to 15,542 wholesale units during the same period last year.
