Ford Continues its Aggressive Expansion in China, Sales Grow 28 Percent in February, Mondeo Sales Increase 151 percent
SHANGHAI, China, March 7, 2012 – Ford Motor Company continues its aggressive expansion in China.
Ford China increased sales by 28 percent last month, with 40,978 wholesale vehicles sold compared to 31,934 wholesale vehicles sold in February 2011. Ford-brand vehicle sales increased by 21 percent in February, with 27,616 wholesale vehicles sold.
Ford Mondeo, particularly with the EcoBoost engine, remained very popular as its sales increased 151 percent in February compared to last year to 4,063 wholesale vehicles sold. EcoBoost is a patented turbo-charging and direct injection technology that delivers up to 20 percent better fuel economy and 15 percent reduction in emissions.
Ford Transit transporter continued to perform well, bucking the shrinking trend in the commercial vehicle segment. Sales of the Transit grew by 55 percent in February, with 5,280 wholesale vehicles sold.
In order to meet continued increased demand, Ford and its partners opened a second vehicle assembly plant in Chongqing last month, bringing its passenger vehicle production capacity to 600,000 units annually. This is Ford’s fourth assembly plant in China and the first of four new manufacturing facilities to come online by the end of 2013. The new plant includes Ford’s newest high-quality, environmentally-friendly manufacturing technologies and is home to the New Focus, which had its Job 1 ceremony with the launch of the new plant.
The New Focus—the first of 15 new vehicles Ford will introduce to China by 2015—is equipped with two new fuel-efficient engine options, a 1.6-litre Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (TiVCT) engine and a 2.0-litre gas direct injection (GDi) engine. The New Focus is also the first Ford vehicle in China to offer Ford SYNC® in Mandarin, a voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system which lets drivers keep their eyes on the road while staying connected to the world.
Ford will continue to manufacture and sell the 1.8-litre engine model of the current Focus, to be called Classic Focus while the newly launched model will be called New Focus. With its segment-leading combination of smart technologies, outstanding fuel economy, expressive design, and addictive driving dynamics, New Focus and Classic Focus are sure to capture the hearts and minds of Chinese consumers.
Ford’s passenger vehicle joint-venture in China, Changan Ford Mazda Automotive Ltd. (CFMA) increased sales by 11 percent in February, selling 21,092 wholesale Ford-brand passenger vehicles, up from 19,075 wholesale vehicles in 2011.
Sales performance at Ford's commercial vehicle investment in China, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC) was also strong in February, growing 48 percent to 18,642 wholesale vehicles, up from 12,585 wholesale vehicles in 2011.
Editor’s note: All sales figures quoted are based on wholesale numbers.