As Sales Plunge, Ford Tries Again With China

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Ford isn’t about to kiss off the barely tapped potential of the Chinese new vehicle market, so it’s throwing more effort into strengthening its efforts in that “developing” country. To better mine a market in which its sales sank 43 percent last month, the automaker has announced the creation of a standalone business unit: Ford China.

Overseeing the unit is a CEO poached from a Chinese automaker — a man who once spent 17 years working under the Blue Oval banner.

In its Wednesday announcement, Ford said former Chery CEO Anning Chen would take on the top executive position for Ford China. Chen left Ford in 2009 after having served since 1992, soon appearing at China’s state-owned Chery Automobile Co., where he reached the general manager position in April 2017.

Chen resigned from Chery at the end of September for personal reasons, according to a company statement. In his new position, Chen will report directly to Jim Farley, Ford’s head of global markets.

“Success in China is critical as we reposition our global business for long-term success,” said Ford CEO Jim Hackett in a statement. “With today’s actions, we are strengthening our commitment to the China market and reorganizing our international markets to strengthen their performance.”

Farley echoes Hackett’s sentiment, stating, “China is absolutely essential to Ford’s profitability and growth,” said Farley, claiming a standalone unit was needed to ” increase our decision-making speed and be closer to our customers.”

Chen’s first day on the job is November 1st. Helping him transition into the role is Peter Fleet, president of Ford Asia Pacific, who’s also tasked with the creation of an International Markets business unit focused on the non-China Asia-Pacific region and other unspecified markets.

Ford’s Chinese market share hit a peak of 4.36 percent in 2015, falling nearly a full percentage point by 2017. A rapidly transitioning market with its own domestic troubles was made all the more volatile by U.S. tariffs levied this summer, leading to a steep nosedive in volume.

The automaker’s aforementioned 43 percent year-over-year sales drop in September was only the latest reason for a rise in antacid sales in Dearborn. August saw a 36 percent monthly sales drop, while July’s volume came in 32 percent lower than the same month a year prior. June sales fell 38 percent. If this looks like a worsening trend that would weigh on the minds of investors, you’re right.

Ford plans to launch 50 new models in the Chinese market by the middle of next decade, all the while increasing its volume of locally produced vehicles.

While news of a new China unit should have brought some lift to the automaker’s deeply depressed stock, a quarterly earnings report expected after Wednesday’s closing bell weighed heavily. As of publication time, Ford’s stock was down nearly 5 percent on anticipation of bad news.

[Image: Ford Motor Company]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • DeadWeight DeadWeight on Oct 24, 2018

    Ford, late like 2008 to the "Hail Mary China Domestic Market Will Save Us & Cure All Our Woes" groupthink dogma affecting almost every other major automaker, now comes rushing in like a giant A$$ fool, throwing way more resources into that pot while talking up this strategy as if it's a) novel, and/or b) wise, just in time for what will be one of the greatest meltdowns in the history of a formerly hot emerging market economy (China realistically could go into real economic contraction, and possibly even a depression, based on trending export, domestic consumption and internal debt patterns). China will save al, automakers, and especially Ford and GM!

  • Dantes_inferno Dantes_inferno on Oct 25, 2018

    Sounds like the definition of insanity. Insanity. Rinse and repeat.

  • Syke Kinda liked the '57, hated the '58. Then again, I hated the entire '58 GM line except for the Chevrolet. Which I liked better than the '57's. Still remember dad's '58 Impala hardtop, in the silver blue that was used as the main advertising color.
  • Dartdude The bottom line is that in the new America coming the elites don't want you and me to own cars. They are going to make building cars so expensive that the will only be for the very rich and connected. You will eat bugs and ride the bus and live in a 500sq-ft. apartment and like it. HUD wants to quit giving federal for any development for single family homes and don't be surprised that FHA aren't going to give loans for single family homes in the very near future.
  • Ravenuer The rear view of the Eldo coupe makes it look fat!
  • FreedMike This is before Cadillac styling went full scale nutty...and not particularly attractive, in my opinion.
  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
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