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Ford's China sales keep falling, down 30% in third quarter

BEIJING — Ford's July-to-September vehicle sales in China fell 30%, as the U.S. automaker continued to lose ground in a prolonged sales decline in its second biggest market. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker delivered 131,060 vehicles in China in the third quarter, Ford said in a statement. Ford's sales in China fell 35.8% in the first quarter and by 21.7% in the second quarter. In the third quarter, sales of the automaker's mass-market Ford brand fell 37.7%, while its luxury division Lincoln saw sales drop by 24.1%. It delivered around 421,000 vehicles in the first nine months of the year, according to Reuters calculations. Ford has been struggling to revive sales in China after its business began slumping in late 2017. Sales sank 37 percent in 2018, after a 6 percent decline in 2017. The automaker plans to launch more than 30 new models in China over the next three years, of which more than a third will be electric vehicles. It also said it would localize management teams by hiring more Chinese staff and aimed to improve relationships with joint venture partners. Ford has launched a series of new models in the third quarter in China, including Focus, Edge, and the electric Territory. In China, Ford makes cars through its joint venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile Co and Jiangling Motors. It has said it would partner with Zotye Automobile Co to sell lower-priced cars, but there seems to have been little progress. In a series of moves, Ford named a new president for its main local venture, Changan Ford, in August and said it would enhance its partnership with Changan through research, production and marketing cooperation in September. Ford is also planning to revamp some of its existing manufacturing facilities with Changan to localize production of its premium brand Lincoln. Changan Ford's sales down by around 33.5% in the third quarter, according to Reuters calculations based on Changan's filings. Ford rival General Motors' July-to-September vehicle sales in China fell 17.5%, to 689,531 vehicles. As GM and Ford China sales extend declines, U.S. car companies' market share of total China passenger vehicle sales fell to 9.5% in the first eight months of this year, from 10.7% in the year-ago period, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). Over the same period, German carmakers' share has risen to 23.8% from 21.6%, and Japanese automakers' share rose to 21.7% from 18.3%.

Lower gas prices mean there are excellent deals on green cars right now

The phenomenon was big enough to make news in 2006, then in 2008, in 2011, in 2012, in 2013, and again last year: a big move in gas prices means a big move in alternative-fuel-vehicle sales. True Car's TrueSavings report, which averages transaction prices across the country to figure out what people are paying compared to MSRP, shows that electric cars and hybrids are ripe for excellent savings right now. The Ford Focus Electric presents the greatest disparity, with the average transaction price of $25,168 representing a 16.1-percent saving off its $29,995 MSRP. The Kia Optima Hybrid and Toyota Prius also snagged spots in the top five, with the Kia offering a 10.7-percent discount and the Toyota a 10.1-percent discount. One hybrid managed to show up among the top five lease offers, too: the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is just $315 a month for 36 months after $3,875 down in some markets. Alt-energy vehicles got bumped out of the top five finance deals, however. That was dominated by light trucks and, oddly, two subcompacts. The press release below has more details. TrueCar finds hybrids, EVs top list of best savings in January Gasoline price plunge = savings for consumers on alternative fuel vehicles SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford's Focus Electric hatchback, which sells at an average of 16 percent off MSRP, tops January's list of best savings on new vehicles, according to TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRUE), the negotiation-free car buying and selling platform. The "TrueSavings" monthly report analyzes current transaction prices and identifies opportunities for consumer savings. "Fuel savings are not top of mind to many consumers right now, and that makes this a great time to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle," said John Krafcik, president of TrueCar. "With gasoline prices now averaging just $2.10 per gallon, and vehicle preferences tied so closely to short-term gasoline prices, automakers are heavily discounting their most fuel-efficient cars to clear inventories." Toyota's Prius, the world's best-selling alternative fuel vehicle for more than a decade, also makes January's list of best savings. Customers who purchase a Prius Two model this month can save 10 percent off the hybrid car's $25,025 MSRP. "Gasoline prices and vehicle type preferences are strongly related, and this relationship is cyclical in nature," said Krafcik.

2021 Lincoln Nautilus' inner chamber: Interior gets a complete redesign

Unlike the sea creature with which it shares a name, the Lincoln Nautilus luxury crossover is steadily evolving. It was refreshed just two years ago when it adopted the Nautilus name (it was previously called MKX) as well as an updated exterior and turbocharged engine lineup. For 2021, the Nautilus doesn't change much on the outside, but it does get a thoroughly redesigned interior. The exterior design updates to the Nautilus are hardly noticeable. The lower intakes on the bumper have been closed up and smoothed over, giving the fascia a slightly cleaner design. The opposite has happened at the back where the faux diffuser area has been given a bit more detailing. Otherwise, the rest of the crossover is unchanged, from the corporate grille to the deeply creased lines over the wheel wells. The inside is the big draw, where the flowing, but somewhat plastic-looking design has been replaced by a glitzier design based on the interiors of the rest of the Lincoln lineup. It features a low, horizontally-oriented dual-plane dashboard with lots of chrome and leather or leatherette. It also has a gap between the center console and center stack that gives the console a bit of a floating appearance. Another big change is the availability of a 13.2-inch infotainment screen running Sync 4. It's the largest screen offered on any Lincoln model. It's also 1.2 inches larger than the unit in its cousin, the Ford Edge. But unlike the Edge's screen, this one is mounted horizontally, and it doesn't appear to replace many, if any, buttons and knobs. Along with Sync 4 comes natural speech recognition, over-the-air updates and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Mechanically, the Nautilus is unchanged. The standard engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. A turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 with 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque is available as an option. Both engines come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard with all-wheel-drive as an option. The new Nautilus goes on sale early next year. Pricing hasn't been announced, but shouldn't change drastically from current pricing. The current Nautilus starts at about $42,000. Related Video: