Ford to sell vehicles directly to customers in China under new EV organization

Vehicles are seen at a Ford dealership in northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, the United States, on Oct. 1, 2020. (Photo by Joel Lerner/Xinhua)

CHICAGO, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Ford Motor Co. will sell vehicles directly to customers in China under the umbrella of a new, dedicated battery-electric vehicle organization, the Detroit News reported on Tuesday.

The organization dedicated to battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, will focus on research and development, manufacturing, sales and user experience for EVs in China, Ford said in a news release, and Mach-E will be the first vehicle introduced by the organization.

The U.S. automaker has also began accepting pre-orders for the Mustang Mach-E from customers in China.

Mustang Mach-E, Ford's first fully battery-electric vehicle and launched in North America at the start of the year, will be available to Chinese customers later this year and will be built in China, with prices ranging from 265,000 to 379,900 RMB yuan, or 40,500 to 58,000 U.S. dollars.

The Dearborn-based automaker said the Mach-E will be equipped with the company's Co-Pilot360 advanced driver assist system, and with the option to upgrade to a package that enables hands-free driving under certain conditions. The vehicle will also be available in a GT performance edition.

Ford first announced in January that it would sell and build the Mach-E in China.

Ford sold 153,822 new vehicles in China in the first quarter of 2021, up 73.3 percent year-over-year and the fourth consecutive quarter of growth in the market.