American car manufacturer, Ford Motor Co. sold a record 1.27 million new vehicles in China last year, increasing sales nearly 14 percent over a year ago in the world’s largest car market.
The car maker, along with its joint ventures, set a sales record thanks to demand for crossovers, along with a strong December in which sales rose 21 percent over the same period a year ago, Automotive news reports.
“We have built some great sales momentum in China, particularly in the second half of 2016, on the strength of our expanded vehicle lineup,” Peter Fleet, Ford’s vice president of marketing, sales and service for Asia Pacific, said in a statement.
Fleet cited record sales of the three-row Edge crossover, Taurus sedan, Explorer crossover and Lincoln vehicles.
Changan Ford Automobiles, Ford’s car joint venture, sold more than 957,000 vehicles in 2016, up 14 percent over a year ago. Jiangling Motor Corp., Ford’s other joint venture there, sold 265,000 vehicles last year, a 7 percent increase over a year ago. Lincoln sold 32,558 vehicles, a nearly threefold increase from 2015.
Ford also sold 17,599 imported vehicles in China last year, down from 25,340 a year ago.
