Monday July 6, 07:19 AM
Ford China says sales up 14 percent in first half
SHANGHAI (AFP) - US auto giant Ford Motor Co has announced that sales in China in the first half rose 14 percent from a year earlier to 197,212, boosted by strong demand for its low-cost Fiesta car.
The figures contrasted with sliding sales at home, which were down 33 percent as the company has been hit by the global slump.
Ford sold a better-than-expected 18,224 Fiestas -- a fuel-efficient, sedan -- since it was launched in China in March, Ford said without elaborating.
"The incredible popularity our new Fiesta underpinned continued strong demand among Chinese consumers," Robert Graziano, chairman of Ford Motor China, said in a statement.
Last week, General Motors (NYSE: GM - news) , another ailing US auto giant and the world's number two, reported its joint ventures sold 814,442 vehicles in China in the first half of 2009, up 38 percent from the same period last year.
China's auto sales have been boosted by Beijing's incentives to stimulate domestic consumption, which have included slashing taxes on cars with engines smaller than 1.6 litres and subsidising alternative energy vehicles.
Domestic vehicle sales rose 14.3 percent in the first five months to 4.96 million units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
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