• Ford China March sales reach 103,815 vehicles, up 28%, crossing the 100,000 mark for the first time; first quarter sales reach 271,321 vehicles, up 45%
• CAF passenger car March  sales reach 71,888 units, up 30%; first quarter sales reach 195,198 units, up 52%
• JMC commercial vehicle March sales reach 28,501 units up 11%; first quarter sales reach 67,125 units, up 19%

Ford China goes into the Beijing Auto Show with record monthly sales of 103,815 vehicles, a 28 percent increase over March 2013, crossing the 100,000 monthly sales mark for the first time. Excellent March performance brought first quarter sales up by 45 percent, with 271,321 vehicles sold compared to 186,596 during the same period last year.

"We're pleased that China's car buyers continue to choose Ford," said John Lawler, Chairman and CEO of Ford China. "Our strong sales momentum demonstrates the success of our accelerated China growth plan and puts Ford in a great position as we get ready to showcase our full product lineup at the Beijing Auto Show."

Ford-brand car sales--which include sales for the imported Ford Explorer, Ford Edge, Ford Focus ST and the Ford Fiesta ST--grew 57 percent in the first quarter, with 204,196 cars sold, up from 130,176 during the first quarter of 2013. In March, sales were up 35 percent with 75,314 cars sold compared to 55,787 during the same period last year.

Ford's passenger car joint venture Changan Ford Automobile (CAF) saw sales rise 52 percent in the first quarter, with 195,198 vehicles sold compared to 128,006 in the first quarter of 2013. March sales also grew, with 71,888 vehicles sold, up 30 percent compared to 55,348 in March 2013.

Sales for the Ford Kuga reached a major milestone last month, with over 120,000 vehicles sold since its launch in February 2013. With its smart technology, sleek design, leading safety, quality, and fuel efficiency, the Ford Kuga was in high demand last month, with 12,107 vehicles sold, up 26 percent from March 2013.

Steady growth continued with Ford's commercial vehicle investment in China, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC). JMC sold 67,125 vehicles in the first quarter, up 19 percent from the first quarter of 2013. March sales also increased to 28,501 vehicles, up 11 percent compared to the same period last year.

Ford’s award-winning smart technologies across its product line will be on display at the Beijing Auto Show this April. Just last month, Ford was recognized by the Telematics@China Forum, a leading Chinese industry group, with a “Most Web-Savvy Enterprise” award for its SYNC AppLink technology.  Nominees were selected by 1,118 industry experts based on a customer satisfaction and technical leadership review process which lasted several months.

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Editor’s note: All sales figures quoted are wholesale figures.