Ford Sales Rose 14% in China Last Month

Ford Motor China sold 45,162 wholesale vehicles in May, a 14% increase compared with May 2010.

Ford sold 230,068 wholesale units from January to May in China, a 15% increase from the same period in 2010.

Jiangling Motors Corp. (JMC), Ford's commercial-vehicle joint venture in China, continues to lead China's commercial-vehicle industry with 90,055 wholesale unit sales reported for the January-May period, a 23% increase from the same period last year.

Ford Transit sold 25,422 units, a 23% increase from the same period in 2010, according to the automaker.

Ford Focus sold 16,756 wholesale units in May, a 33% increase from May 2010 and the ninth consecutive month the mid-sized car has seen double-digit year-on-year sales growth in China, according to the automaker.

The Ford Mondeo sold 6,005 wholesale units, a 46% increase from last May.

Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA), Ford's passenger-vehicle joint venture in China, sold 32,996 wholesale units in May, a 19% increase from May 2010.

Year-to-date, CFMA has sold 173,189 vehicles, a 4% increase from the same period last year.

Last month, CFMA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chongquing Municipal Government to support Ford's first transmission plant in China. The plant is scheduled to begin production in 2013 and will have an initial annual capacity of 400,000 units, according to the automaker.