Chinese Drivers say ‘Shi’ to the Ford Focus

SHANGHAI-TRANSPORTATION – Have you driven a Ford Lately? That question answered in China is increasingly ‘Shi’. More and more people in China are buying the Ford Focus.

Continued strong demand for the Ford Focus, the best-selling nameplate in China last year, helped Ford China increase sales by 67 percent in February, with 73,040 vehicles sold. Ford China’s sales are up 59 percent so far for the year, with sales of 167,506 vehicles compared to the first two months of 2013.

Total passenger car sales for Ford China—which include imported cars—rose 88 percent in February with 56,284 vehicles sold compared to 29,950 in February 2013. Ford has sold 128,882 passenger cars so far in 2014, up 73 percent from 74,389 vehicles sold during the same period last year.

Ford’s passenger car joint venture Changan Ford Automobile (CAF), sold 53,272 vehicles in February, up 81 percent from 29,389 sold during the same period last year. Year-to-date sales sailed well past the 100,000 mark, with 123,310 sold, up 70 percent compared to the first two months of 2013.

Featuring great fuel-efficiency, quality, safety and smart technologies, sales for the Ford Mondeo and the Ford Focus continued to surge last month. Ford Mondeo nameplate sales were up 123 percent with 7,755 vehicles sold in February while Ford Focus nameplate sales reached 27,899 vehicles, up 13 percent compared to February 2013.

Ford’s commercial vehicle investment in China, Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), also continued to turn in steady growth, with sales rising 22 percent in February, with 16,756 vehicles sold compared 13,684 in February 2013. JMC’s year-to-date sales were up 25 percent with 38,624 vehicles sold, up from 30,820 in January and February 2013.

Late last month, to showcase the vehicle’s cutting-edge smart technologies, Ford held its global reveal for the 2015 Ford Focus at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. During the event, Ford also announced a partnership with mobile telecommunications giant China Mobile to bring two of its most popular apps—Lingxi and Fetion—onto Ford vehicles through Ford’s award-winning SYNC AppLink technology platform. SYNC AppLink-equipped vehicles will be available in China later this year, initially in the Ford Focus and the new Ford Fiesta, to be followed later by other models.