CHONGQING, China — Following its brilliant title-winning season during the 2011 China Touring Car Championship (CTCC), the Ford Focus has achieved yet another milestone by reaching the 800,000-unit sales mark in China on November 11.

Ford Focus

Year-to-date retail sales of the mid-size car in China hit 150,000 units last month, with wholesales of 156,217 vehicles from January to October – a 13 percent increase over the same period last year.

Focus owes its strong sales performance to the launch of the 2011 model. With 248 engineering optimisations and new features such as an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) on high-series models and an entry price of RMB100,000 (USD14,700), the 2011 Ford Focus has reinforced its leading position in China's mid-size-car market.

The sales milestone is yet another historic moment for Focus. Taking advantage of the vehicle's dynamic handling, explosive force, and excellent drivability, the Changan Ford Racing Team won the manufacturer and driver titles of the 2011 CTCC in early November – not only providing the crowning glory to the team itself, but also exemplifying the car's sporty DNA to customers in China.

Focus' worldwide cumulative sales have reached more than 10 million units since it first launched in 1998, and it is the only vehicle to have won "Vehicle of the Year" in both Europe and North America.

The strong Focus sales have also been a major contributor to Ford's total sales in China this year.

Despite challenging market conditions, Ford sales in China are up nine percent so far in 2011. Ford sold 426,814 wholesale vehicles from January to October, compared to 392,152 vehicles last year. In October, Ford sold 40,857 wholesale units, approximately the same amount as in October 2010.

Ford continues to aggressively expand its sales and operations in Asia and is on track to bring 15 new vehicles to China by 2015.