Ford China sales are up 30 percent in the year to date, with 717,537 vehicles sold compared with 551,738 in the first eight months of 2013. In August this year alone, Ford sold 77,506 vehicles in China, up nine percent from 71,183 sold in August last year.
"We have experienced an unprecedented period of growth over the last few years," said John Lawler, Chairman and CEO for Ford China. "While that high-level of year-over-year growth is not sustainable with our present manufacturing footprint, we are confident that with our new assembly plants coming online in Chongqing and Hangzhou as well as great new nameplates like the Ford Escort and Ford Mustang -- we will continue to attract new customers to the Ford brand."
Changan Ford (CAF), Ford's passenger car joint venture, broke the half-million mark with 522,394 vehicles sold in the first eight months of 2014, up 33 percent from 394,017 sold during the same period last year. August sales for CAF reached 60,306 vehicles, up 13 percent from August 2013.
According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the Focus nameplate was the best-selling nameplate in China for both the month of July and for the first seven months of 2014. Strong sales performance for the Ford Focus continued in August. The nameplate sold 28,305 vehicles last month, and year-to-date sales reached 260,993, up five percent from 249,576 sold in the first eight months of 2013.
Ford Mondeo, Kuga and EcoSport sales also grew significantly. Ford Mondeo nameplate sales rose 107 percent with 8,526 vehicles sold, up from 4,120 in August 2013. Sales for the Ford Kuga rose 39 percent in August with 12,114 vehicles sold, and Ford EcoSport sales reached 6,300 vehicles, up 29 percent from August last year.
Ford's imported vehicles -- the Ford Explorer, the Ford Edge, the Ford Focus ST and the Ford Fiesta ST -- are also selling well. Together, imported vehicle sales have risen 66 percent for the year, with 23,974 vehicles sold compared with 14,399 in the first eight months of 2013.
Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), Ford's commercial vehicle investment in China, sold 171,169 vehicles in the year to date, up 19 percent from 143,322 vehicles sold during the same period last year. JMC's monthly sales were steady, with 16,200 vehicles sold in August compared with 16,549 vehicles in August 2013.
As part of its accelerated plan to introduce 15 new vehicles to China by 2015, Ford is introducing the Ford Escort in late 2014, the Ford Mustang in early 2015 and the Ford Everest in mid-2015. All these vehicles will showcase the high quality, fuel efficiency, safety and smart technologies for which the Ford brand is known. To support its new-vehicle introduction plan, Ford will also launch a new assembly plant in Chongqing toward the end of 2014 and in Hangzhou later in 2015.
