Ford sells nearly 568,000 vehicles in China in 2019; further narrowes sales decline in the fourth quarter

Ford Motor Company and its joint ventures in China sold 567,854 vehicles in China in 2019, down 26.1 percent compared to 2018. In the fourth quarter, the company delivered 146,473 vehicles, down 14.7 percent year-over-year, up 11.8 percent compared to the prior quarter.

“2019 was a challenging year for the Chinese automotive market and for Ford in China. While our sales declined primarily in the value segment, the decline continued to narrow in the second half and saw the stabilization of our shares in the high-to-premium segments,” said Anning Chen, president and CEO, Ford Greater China. “The pressure from the external environment and downward trend of the industry volume will continue in 2020, and we will put more efforts into strengthening our product lineup with more customer-centric products and customer experiences to mitigate the external pressure and improve dealers’ profitability.”

Business Unit:

Ford China sales in the fourth quarter totaled 146,473 units, down 14.7 percent compared to the same period in 2018, up 11.8 percent compared to the third quarter. While the year-over-year decline continues to narrow, the sales of most of its core business units were up compared to the third quarter.

National Distribution & Services Division (NDSD) sold 62,137 vehicles in the fourth quarter, down 24 percent compared to the same period in 2018, up 4.5 percent compared to the prior quarter. The annual sales of NDSD in 2019 closed at 253,499 units, a 39.2 percent drop year-over-year.

Jiangling Motors Co., Ltd. (JMC) delivered 63,064 vehicles in the fourth quarter, decreasing by 5.3 percent compared to the same period in 2018, representing a 21.8 percent growth from the previous quarter. The annual sales of JMC in 2019 totaled 236,222 units, down 10.4 percent year-over-year.

Lincoln sold 12,937 vehicles in the fourth quarter, a 17.6 percent decrease year-over-year, increased 11.4 percent compared to the third quarter. The annual sales of Lincoln in 2019 reached 46,629 units, down 15.7 percent compared to 2018.

Ford China Imported Vehicles delivered 2,394 vehicles in the fourth quarter, down 36.8 percent compared to the same period in 2018, and a 4.8 percent decrease from the third quarter. The annual sales in 2019 were 10,861 units, decreasing by 32.7 percent year-over-year.

Ford Lio Ho Motor Co., Ltd. (FLH) sold 5,941 vehicles, representing a 50 percent growth compared to the same period in 2018, up 4.6 percent compared to the third quarter. The annual sales in Taiwan totaled 20,643, up 25.2 percent year-over-year.

Ford Brand Highlights

Ford brand sales in 2019 totaled 328,315 units, decreasing by 34.4 percent compared to 2018. The brand delivered 83,336 vehicles in the fourth quarter, down 18.8 percent year-over-year, representing a 7.6 percent increase compared to the previous quarter.

The sales of Ford Focus in the fourth quarter were up seven percent compared to the same period in 2018. Meanwhile, the Ford Focus has achieved a 143 percent year-over-year annual growth in the Taiwan market.  

Ford pickups performed well in China in 2019. The sales of Ford F-150 were up 47.3 percent in 2019 and 46.6 percent in the fourth quarter year-over-year. The sales of Ford Ranger in 2019 achieved 28.3 percent growth compared to 2018, continuing to be the best-selling pickup truck in the Taiwan market for the sixth consecutive year.

Ford-branded SUVs sold 26,539 units in the fourth quarter, decreasing 14.8 percent year-over-year, increased 11.5 percent compared to the third quarter. Ford Territory sold 12,083 units in the fourth quarter, bringing full year sales to 42,669 units, making it the best-selling Ford SUV in the China market in 2019.

The sales of Ford Transit in the fourth quarter were up 10.6 percent compared to the same period in 2018.

The launch of the all-new Ford Escape in late December 2019 has attracted wide attention among Chinese consumers. In just ten days, the customer traffic to dealer showrooms and orders received have been much higher than expected.

Lincoln Brand Highlights

Although the sales of Lincoln-branded SUVs were down in 2019, Lincoln Navigator maintained a strong growth momentum throughout the year with 32.1 percent growth compared to 2018, and in the fourth quarter the Lincoln Navigator achieved an increase of 8.2 percent year-over-year. In the fourth quarter, sales of Lincoln MKC and Lincoln Nautilus increased by 22.6 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, compared to the prior quarter.

The all-new Lincoln Aviator, which was officially launched in the China market on November 15, 2019, has received more than 1,500 orders. The first batch of vehicles were delivered to customers beginning in December.

On December 27, 2019, Lincoln kicked off the pre-sale of all-new Lincoln Corsair, the first localized model of Lincoln in China, and the new vehicle is now available for customers to place orders in the showroom. Lincoln will start to deliver all-new Lincoln Corsair to Chinese customers in March this year.

JMC Brand Highlights

The sales of JMC indigenous-branded vehicles reached 50,200 units in the fourth quarter, down 6.2 percent compared to the same period in 2018, up 19.5 percent from the previous quarter.

JMC Teshun commercial vans delivered 10,703 units in the fourth quarter, a 16.3 percent increase year-over-year.

And JMC-branded pickup trucks, commercial vans and light trucks achieved steady quarter-over-quarter growth in the fourth quarter.