Focus leads Ford's sales to surge 98%

FORD Motor Co said yesterday that sales in China almost doubled in January from a year ago, led by its best-selling Focus sedan.

The US automaker sold 61,475 passenger cars and commercial vehicles last month in China, a 98 percent rise from a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Passenger vehicle sales surged 135 percent to 44,439, and commercial deliveries rose 42 percent.

Total vehicle sales in China this year, including trucks and buses, are projected to surpass 20 million for the first time ever as the economy rebounds, according to estimates by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Ford is looking to boost deliveries in the world's largest auto market by introducing two locally produced sport-utility vehicles this year, the industry's fastest-growing segment.

Besides the Kuga, which went on sale last month, Ford plans to start selling another China-produced SUV, the EcoSport, by the end of March, the company said. It is also importing two other SUV models, the Edge and Explorer.

The maker of the Ford Mustang car sold 296,360 Focus sedans last year, beating General Motors Co's Chevrolet Sail and Buick Excelle for the title of top-selling car in China.

Ford will introduce the luxury Lincoln brand in China next year, Jim Farley, its chief of Lincoln and global marketing, said in Detroit last month.

It plans to launch 15 new models in China by 2015, Marin Burela, president of Ford's joint venture in China, said in November.

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