Vehicles are seen at a Ford dealership in northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, the United States, on Oct. 1, 2020. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
In greater China area, Ford sold 190,916 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2020, up 30.3 percent year on year, and the third consecutive quarter of sales growth.
CHICAGO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ford Motor Co. sold 602,627 vehicles in greater China area in 2020, up 6.1 percent year on year, the Detroit News quoted Ford's sources as saying on Wednesday.
The U.S. automaker, with its Chinese joint venture partners, sold 190,916 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2020, up 30.3 percent year on year, and the third consecutive quarter of sales growth.
The automaker's Ford, Lincoln and Jiangling Motors Company (JMC) brands all reached double-digit year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter, at 24.7 percent, 74.9 percent and 28.2 percent, respectively.
Commercial vehicle sales went up 31.4 percent in the fourth quarter and 15.4 percent in 2020, driven by strong demand for Ford's globally-popular Transit van as well as growth of JMC brand commercial vehicle sales and pickup.
Photo taken on Jan. 6, 2021 shows a Ford dealership in Libertyville, Illinois, the United States. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)
"The positive results reflect the company's favorable product mix that more strongly aligns with Chinese consumers' preferences for SUVs and luxury vehicles," Ford said in a statement announcing the results.
The company intends to "strengthen that momentum with a winning strategy that optimizes our product mix and localizes production of world-class Ford and Lincoln vehicles to meet rising Chinese customer demand," Anning Chen, president and CEO of Ford China, said in a statement.
In recent years, Ford's sales in greater China area have been pulled down by lack of demand for an aging lineup. In response, the Dearborn-based automaker launched its Ford China 2.0 strategy to speed up the changeover of its lineup and create more locally-made vehicles that resonate with customers in the region.
In comparison, Ford's vehicle sales in the United States dropped 15.6 percent in 2020.
Meanwhile, General Motors Co. sold 2.9 million vehicles in China in 2020, down 6.2 percent from 2019, the Detroit News reported. ■
