Ford says its sales surged 23% in China in December, capping a record year for the automaker in the world’s largest new vehicle market.
For all of 2016, Ford Motor Company sales totalled a best-ever 1.27m vehicles, 14% higher than 2015. That total includes sales by joint ventures Changan Ford Automobile and Jiangling Motors Corporation, sales of Ford models imported to China and Lincoln, which has become the fastest growing luxury brand in China.
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In December alone, Ford and its joint ventures sold nearly 150,000 vehicles in China, up 21% over 2015. The growth was driven by strong demand for Ford’s expanded lineup of SUVs such as the Ford Edge and Explorer, the Ford Taurus large car, and performance vehicles such as the Ford Mustang.
“We have built some great sales momentum in China, particularly in the second half of 2016, on the strength of our expanded vehicle lineup,” said Peter Fleet, vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service, Asia Pacific. “Record numbers of customers are choosing our 3-row Edge crossover, elegant Taurus sedan, Explorer premium SUV and Lincoln luxury vehicles.”
Changan Ford Automobile, Ford’s passenger car joint venture, broke both annual and December sales records. CAF sold more than 957,000 vehicles in 2016, up 14% compared to 2015. December sales totalled more than 115,000 vehicles, a 19% increase compared to December 2015.
Ford’s five-vehicle SUV lineup has been a key driver of sales growth in China. Demand for the Ford Edge and Ford Explorer, for example, rose 123% and 36% respectively in 2016. The Ford Taurus also had its best sales month ever in December and annual sales surpassed 32,000.
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By GlobalDataFord performance vehicles continue to attract Chinese customers, with annual sales of the Ford Mustang up 45% and Focus RS and Focus ST sales up 12% for the year. The new Ford Focus and Escort have also remained popular, with sales up 8% and 53% for the small sedans.
Jiangling Motor Corp., Ford’s other joint venture in China, sold 265,056 vehicles in 2016, a 7% increase compared to 2015. December sales totalled 32,193 vehicles, up 28% compared to December 2015.
Lincoln has also had a strong year in 2016, with sales totalling 32,558 vehicles, a nearly three-fold increase compared to 2015. Lincoln’s strong performance was supported by Chinese customers’ positive reception of Lincoln SUVs and the growing number of dealerships, which reached 65 in 2016. In terms of sales, five of Lincoln’s top 10 dealerships and 11 of the top 20 were based in China in 2016.
CAF: December 2016 – 115,654 units; YTD 2016 – 957,495 units; December 2015 – 96,960 units; YTD 2015 – 836,425units
Imported Ford vehicles: December 2016 – 2,009 units; YTD 2016 – 17,599 units; December 2015 – 1,417 units; YTD 2015 – 25,340units
JMC: December 2016 – 32,193 units; YTD 2016 – 265,056 units; December 2015 – 25,181 units; YTD 2015 – 246,615units
Total Ford Brand China: December 2016 – 149,856 units; YTD 2016 – 1,240,150 units; December 2015 – 123,558 units; YTD 2015 – 1,108,380units
Lincoln: YTD 2016 – 32,558 units; YTD 2015 – 11,630units
Total Ford and Lincoln Brand China: YTD 2016 – 1,272,708 units; YTD 2015 – 1,120,010units
