China: Ford, Toyota report strong 1st-half sales

Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. reported strong first-half sales in China's fast-growing market, where they are competing to introduce new models to attract customers.

Toyota Motor Corp. sold 212,000 vehicles during the period, up 77 percent from a year earlier, powered by brisk demand for its Camry sedans, the best-selling car in the United States in eight of the past nine years.

Sales of the Camry came to nearly 78,000 units, well on track to hit the full-year target of 150,000, or more than one-third of Toyota’s total China sales goal of 430,000 vehicles in 2007.

Ford Motor Co. said retail sales of its wholly owned brands in China rose 25 percent during the first half to 93,206 vehicles.

Sales of the mid-sized Focus sedan, made by a joint venture between Ford, Mazda Motor Corp and Changan Automobile Co. Ltd., came to 55,676 units, up 66 percent from a year ago, it said in a statement.

Demand for luxury models was also strong in China, as its growing ranks of nouveau riche snapped up the latest premium models.

Toyota sold 12,000 Lexus cars in the half-year, nearly matching the 13,000 sold in all of 2006 and well on track to meet its full-year 2007 target of 22,000.

Ford's Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover brands posted combined sales of 8,779 units, up 66 percent from a year earlier.

Both automakers lag rivals General Motors Corp. and Volkswagen AG in the China market, the world's second largest.