Ford China passenger car sales more than double in January; total sales up 98 per cent

Ford China had its best-ever January, selling more than double the number of passenger cars it did in January 2012.

Ford China sold 44,439 passenger cars - including imported vehicles - last month, a 135 per cent increase year-over-year, and achieved combined
passenger car and commercial vehicle sales of 61,475 wholesale vehicles, a 98 per cent increase from January 2012.

"We're ending the year of the dragon with pride in having served more customers in China than ever before," said John Lawler, Chairman and CEO of Ford China. "As we start the Lunar New Year with great momentum, we are excited to begin offering two new SUVs tailor-made for this market. This is all part of our aggressive expansion to bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, and double retail and production capacity in the world's largest automotive market."

Sales of the Ford Focus - the first of 15 new products Ford will bring to China by 2015 - continued to drive strong performance in January with 33,632 wholesales sold, more than three times the 9,748 sold in January 2012.

Independent industry data show the Ford Focus was China's best-selling nameplate in 2012. Last year Focus sales reached 296,360 vehicles, more than any other domestically manufactured passenger car, according to industry consultancy IHS Automotive.

Mondeo sales in January were up 75 per cent, with 7,068 wholesales sold. Edge sales also grew, up 55 per cent from last year, with 940 wholesales sold last month. Both Mondeo and Edge come equipped with variations of Ford's patented EcoBoost engine, which delivers power, performance, and fuel economy for Chinese customers.

Ford's passenger car joint venture Changan Ford Automobile (CAF) saw sales surge in January, with 43,269 wholesales sold in January, more than double the 18,324 sold last year.

Ford's commercial vehicle investment in China Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC) sold 17,128 wholesale vehicles compared to 12,045 last year, a significant rise of 42 per cent despite a contracting commercial vehicle sector.

Ford launched the all-new Kuga - an exciting new SUV and the second of 15 cars Ford is bringing to China by 2015 - on January 22. With the Edge, Kuga and the soon-to-be launched EcoSport and Explorer, Ford is bringing to China a full family of SUV's, the country's fastest-growing segment.

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