Ford China sales from January to February exceed 71000 vehicles

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai March 8) - Ford sold a total of 40,978 vehicles in China last month, Caijing reported today. Although the amount is 28 percent higher than last February's result, Ford's cumulative sales performance of 71,954 vehicles from January to February was 15.69 percent lower than 2011.

Changan Ford Mazda managed to sell 21,092 Fords in February, achieving year-to-year growth of 11 percent. Meanwhile, Jiangling Motors, which specializes in commercial vehicle sales, managed to move 18,264 vehicles, a full 48 percent higher than last February.

The key factory behind increased sales in February but decreased sales over the two month period from January to February is the changed timing of the Spring Festival holiday. This year the week-long holiday occurred in late January, allowing manufacturers a full month to make up for lost sales.

Ford has previously commented that its production capacity in China is relatively limited. To this end, Changan Ford Mazda's new factory in Chongqing, Ford's fourth in the country, has finally begun operation last month. The factory's first car, the new Focus (pictured), rolled off the assembly lines last week. Ford plans to build three more sites by 2013.