Ford Motor said today it had sold 82,225 of its own-brand vehicles in China in 2005, up 46 per cent on the previous year.
Sales of affiliated brands, including cars made by Mazda, had not been finalised, but Ford said its overall affiliated brands sales had surpassed an estimated 220,000 units last year.
The announcement came after rival General Motors earlier in the month posted a 35 per cent rise in 2005 China sales to 665,390 units, unseating Volkswagen as the top foreign seller in the country for the first time.
Ford's main Chinese car venture, with Changan Automotive Group, registered record sales of 61,013 units, up 41 per cent.
Car sales in China by all manufacturers last year jumped 21 per cent to nearly 4 million units, bouncing back from a relatively lacklustre rise of 15 per cent in 2004 thanks for demand for cheaper models with lower emissions. Sales almost doubled in 2003.
Sales have slowed since 2003, however, partly because of Beijing's tightening of easy auto credit to help cool an overheating Chinese economy. Analysts expect sales to grow some 20 per cent this year on continued strong demand for cheaper models.