Ford reports 16% rise in Q1 China sales

Ford said that 42,746 units had been sold in China, helped by introducing its S-Max and Focus models, and the development of its auto-financing business. Sales of Ford's high-end models, such as Jaguar and Land Rover, jumped 30% to over 4,000 units.

Ford's joint venture with Chongqing and Mazda, the Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company, reported a 19% increase in sales in the first quarter. Ford said it plans to increase production capacity by the end of 2007.

General Motors and Volkswagen released their first quarter China sales earlier in the year, and recorded a 25% increase and a 23% increase, respectively.