AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)08/23 Report--

On the evening of August 22, 2019, Ford China announced an important personnel appointment:

Ford Motor Company will appoint Stephen Armstrong, chairman of its European operations, to succeed he Junjie as president of Changan Ford, its joint venture in China, to deepen cooperation between the two sides and launch more models, thereby curbing the continued decline in sales in the Chinese market. The appointment will take effect on October 1. He Junjie, the current president of Changan Ford, will retire at the end of 2019 after 34 years of service with the Ford Motor Company.

Mr. he Junjie, the current president of Changan Ford, has successively held leading positions in marketing, sales, service and other departments during his more than 30 years of service for Ford. Prior to serving as president of Changan Ford, he served as president and general manager of Ford Motor India, and held a number of different leadership positions in sales and marketing departments in Europe, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. including the general manager of Changan Ford Motor sales Company and the vice president of sales and service for Ford Asia Pacific.

However, during the time when he Junjie was president of Changan Ford, the company's sales have been declining. In July this year, Changan Ford's sales did not stop falling, with a total sales of 18000 vehicles, a decrease of 24.49% compared with the same period last year. 93200 vehicles were sold from January to July, down 62.94% from the same period last year.

In 2018, Ford sold 752243 vehicles in China, down 36.9 per cent from the same period last year, of which Changan Ford sold only 417215 vehicles, down 50 per cent from the same period last year. The reason for the sharp decline in sales is that the inventory is too high, the discount is increased, the dealer's profit is falling and the product is at the end.

In an effort to salvage declining sales, Ford announced the launch of more than 50 new models in China by 2025, including eight new SUV models and at least 15 Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles. It also plans to launch 30 Ford and Lincoln models that have been converted to Chinese consumers by 2022, more than 10 of which are new energy vehicles.

Armstrong, the incoming new president, will officially take office on October 1 and report to Chen Anning, CEO of Ford China.

It is understood that Armstrong has more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, has worked in the automotive industry in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, South America and the United States, and has rich experience in leadership positions such as management and procurement. He has served as president and chairman of Ford Europe, Middle East and Africa, president of Ford South America, chief operating officer of Getrag-Ford gearbox joint venture, and senior positions for Jaguar and Volvo brands.

Since the second half of last year, Ford's senior personnel changes in China have occurred frequently, and now the leadership team headed by Chen Anning is becoming more and more stable. In order to better implement the Ford China 2.0 strategy of "in China, for China", Ford has made a series of measures to boost sales in the Chinese market in terms of personnel structure and product structure. A few days ago, Changan Ford launched three new models in an attempt to launch a new offensive in the domestic market.

Now, Armstrong is about to take up the post of president of Changan Ford. What new changes will his arrival bring to Changan Ford? And how to boost the next market performance of Changan Ford? It's worth looking forward to.

Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat