China Opens Eighty-eight Ford Dealerships in One Day Jun-25-2014 12:00 AM ET SHANGHAI, China – On June 19, Ford opened 88 new dealerships in China in one day, bringing the total number of Ford dealer points in China to 750. With these 88 new dealerships, approximately one–third of Ford’s sales network in China is now located in Central and Western China, reflecting growing customer demand in those markets. The new dealerships also help grow the company’s presence in China’s fast-growing cities. With the new dealerships now open, about 75 percent of the Changan Ford (CAF) China sales network is now based in Tier 4, 5 or 6 cities, bringing access and convenience to Ford’s newest Chinese customers. The day’s opening events were held in six cities: Shanghai, Dongying, Shenyang, Zhengzhou, Xi’an and Foshan. The most prominent of the events, the opening of the Shanghai Jiuhua West Dealership, was attended by Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company. “Nearly 100 years ago, our founder Henry Ford declared that his vision for our company was to ‘open the highways to all mankind’,” said Mulally. “Today, Ford and Changan Ford are doing exactly that in China. We are making mobility and economic opportunity even more accessible to our customers as we expand our ability to serve them with the very best cars and utilities.” To meet Ford’s high global standards when it comes to customer service and technical expertise, all of Ford’s dealers participate in extensive training and certification programs before opening. In China, CAF helps deliver major aspects of its technical training in partnership with 19 top vocational schools and universities across China through its “School to Work” programs. CAF also has introduced Ford’s “Quality Care Certification System,” which ensures that processes related to sales, service and body shop management meet global standards. All the 88 dealerships that were opened that day are 4S stores, taking Ford’s total 4S dealer count in China to 583 and demonstrating that the company is well on track to deliver its plan to double its 4S network in China to around 700 by 2015. “All of our dealerships in China—new and existing—deliver truly world-class technical and customer service,” said Marin Burela, president and CEO, CAF. “The newly-opened 88 dealerships allow us to better serve our growing Chinese customer base and improve their ownership experience. With the growth momentum we have going right now, we expect to exceed 800 dealer points in China by the end of 2014.” “We are so pleased that customers continue to choose the Ford brand here in China,” said John Lawler, chairman and CEO, Ford China. “Our network expansion allows us to better serve our Chinese customers. It improves their overall ownership experience and gives them more access to the high quality, safe, fuel-efficient and smart vehicles they have come to expect from the Ford brand.” As part of its plan to introduce 15 new products to China between 2011 and 2015, Ford has introduced the Ford Focus, Kuga, Mondeo, EcoSport and Explorer, in addition to several others vehicles. Customer demand has been strong. 2013 sales were up 49 percent compared to 2012 with 935,813 wholesale vehicles sold in 2013 compared to 626,616 sold in 2012. The trend continued in 2014. In the first five months of 2014, Ford sold 461,473 vehicles compared to 332,308 in the first five months of 2013, an increase of 39 percent. This rise in sales has both underlined the need for dealer network expansion and attracted new dealers to the Ford brand.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 21:13:08 +0000
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