Ford's China sales rise 3% in April, but fails to keep pace with 1st quarter
Sales of Ford Motor Co.'s two joint ventures in China softened in April after China scrapped vehicle sales incentives at the end of last year.
Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co. and Jiangling Motors Corporation sold 44,340 Ford- and Jiangling-branded vehicles, up 3 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to Ford China.
But thanks to a strong first quarter, sales of Ford and Jiangling-branded vehicles in the first four months reached 184,906 units, up 15 percent.
Ford builds the Focus, Mondeo and Fiesta models at Changan Ford Mazda, a three-way joint venture of Changan Automobile (Group) Co., Ford and Mazda Motor Corp.
Jiangling Motors Corp., a commercial vehicle joint venture between Jiangling Holdings Co. and Ford, builds the Ford Transit van and its own Jiangling-badged trucks, pickups and SUVs.
At the Shanghai auto show last month, Ford announced plans to introduce 15 new vehicles in China by 2015. Ford wants to catch up to rivals such as Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co. and Hyundai Motor Co., the three top-selling international automakers.
According to data from J.D. Power and Associates, Ford ranked 8th in China, based on March group sales.
