Ford's executive leadership team in China is excited about the sales prospects for the remainder of the year.
Ford Motor Co. said its sales in China rebounded during April after a sluggish March, but GM’s sales slipped by almost 2% despite strong sales of sport utility vehicles and the Cadillac brand.
Ford reported selling nearly 94,000 vehicles in April in China, up 11% compared to April 2016. Monthly sales for Changan Ford Automobile, Ford’s largest partner, totaled more than 62,000 vehicles, up 6% compared to the same time last year.
Jiangling Motor Corp. sold more than 25,000 vehicles in April, a 15% increase compared to April 2016. While Lincoln sales climbed by 95% to 4,500 units.
“Ford sales bounced back strongly in April in China with gains across our lineup. The overall market remains strong and we expect to gain momentum as the year continues as we launch new products and new models to our existing lineup, like the Edge EcoBoost 245 Sport and Focus CTCC Edition,” noted Peter Fleet, vice president of marketing, sales and service for Ford Asia Pacific.
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While April was strong, Ford’s year-to-date sales are down 12% through April. The automaker now expects China industry sales volume to be a record 28.2 million in 2017, Fleet said.
Cadillac sales continue to boom in China even as the rest of GM's brands slide, as they did in April.
China is also more important than ever for GM, which earned $500 million in the first quarter from the company’s 10 joint-ventures in China
GM and its joint ventures in China delivered 272,770 vehicles in April.
Sales were down 1.9% year-over-year. The Cadillac and Baojun brands, coming off first-quarter sales records, reached new sales highs for April – increasing 98% and 58% respectively from a year earlier.
(Click Here for more about GM and Ford’s plans for China.)
GM deliveries of luxury vehicles, SUVs and MPVs increased a combined 14% on an annual basis and represented nearly half of the company’s sales last month.
To capitalize on the demand for utility vehicles in China, half of GM’s 18 new and refreshed models being launched in Chinese market this year will be SUVs and MPVs.
In addition, Cadillac continues to build its presence in the market. Cadillac nearly doubled its deliveries from a year earlier to 13,903 units, for its 14th consecutive month of double-digit growth.
“We are pleased by the response of consumers to our lineup of current and new models shown at Auto Shanghai 2017 last month,” said GM Executive Vice President and GM China President Matt Tsien.
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“We look forward to building on this momentum as several of these products, including the new Buick Regal and Baojun 310 wagon, reach the market,” Tsien said.