Ford Motor Co. today said it has sold more than 1 million vehicles in China for the first time in a calendar year. And it did so with a month left to go.
The automaker said its China sales from January through November were 1,007,425 units, a 20 percent increase from the same period in 2013.
“Crossing the million vehicle mark is a significant milestone for Ford in China, and it demonstrates the appeal of our portfolio of high-quality, safe, fuel-efficient and smart vehicles,” John Lawler, CEO of Ford Motor China, said in a statement. “We look forward to continued growth as we expand production capacity and introduce great new Ford vehicles to serve our Chinese customers.”
The Ford Mondeo midsize car has been a large contributor to the company’s sales in China, posting an 83 percent increase this year. The Mondeo is sold through Ford’s passenger-car joint venture, Changan Ford, whose sales have risen 20 percent this year through November to 729,711.
Sales by Ford's commercial-vehicle investment in China, Jiangling Motors Corp., have increased 17 percent to 245,066 units.
Sales of imported vehicles, including the Explorer, Edge, Focus ST and Fiesta ST, have risen 49 percent to 32,648.
Ford now sells about one-third as many vehicles in China as General Motors. GM said it sold its 3 millionth vehicle of the year in that country on Nov. 14.
Ford is spending billions of dollars and introducing a slew of new and redesigned vehicles to build its market share in China, which is currently less than 5 percent. It plans to begin selling a new seven-seat SUV, the Everest, next year, and also is preparing to roll out a revamped Escort, Taurus and three-row version of the Edge.
Ford also introduced Lincoln in China this year and aims to have the brand selling 150,000 units there annually by 2020. Lincoln officials said this week that the brand has six dealerships open in China so far and plans to open two more this month.
