Ford Motor Company announced a partnership with Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC) of China on Wednesday, with the aim of boosting the former’s lineup of SUVs in the mainland.
Ford's partnership with JMC has resulted in the Territory compact crossover
The new joint venture, called Jiangling Ford Automobile Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., will be a 49:51 collaboration that aims to fast-track Ford’s China 2.0 business transformation plan. Resources of the two companies will be pooled together to upgrade current distribution channels in China, marketing a lineup of Ford-branded passenger vehicles manufactured by JMC.
Among the vehicles to be offered under the venture is the current Territory compact crossover, jointly developed by Ford and JMC based on the latter’s Yusheng S330 model. Another anticipated addition is the all-new Ford Equator Sport midsize crossover, which commenced production in 2021.
Orders for the new Ford Equator Sport in China were opened this month
The Equator Sport is a shorter two-row version of the standard Equator model, although reports say the two models are not mechanically related despite sharing a similar design. Targeted toward a younger demographic, the smaller model comes standard with the Ford Co-Pilot 360 advanced driver-assist system, bringing features such as intelligent adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and active park assist.
Also installed on the Equator Sport are Tencent’s Auto Intelligence (TAI) 3.0 suite of smart vehicle systems, with high-accuracy augmented reality (AR) real-world navigation and FordPass mobile app compatibility, as well as over-the-air (OTA) updates.
Other models in the JMC Ford Technology lineup are the Everest midsize SUV and the Tourneo light commercial vehicle (known as the Transit in other markets, including the Philippines).
The Everest is among those licensed by Ford for production in China
The lineup will be offered through the Ford Family Space sales channel, comprising 181 showrooms in major metropolitan markets across China. Ford says that its joint venture with JMC will deliver a customer-centered always-on experience through streamlined operations, allowing both companies to lean on each other’s best practices for further growth in the Chinese market.
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