Ford eyes better performance in China market

CHICAGO - Ford Motor Company vowed on Wednesday to "take urgent action to address under-performance" in Chinese market as the US auto maker reported a sharp decline in overall profits in second quarter this year.

Ford made a net income of $1.1 billion in the second quarter, which was $0.9 billion less than the same period of 2017, according to its latest earnings report released on Wednesday.

Fire at one of Ford's supply plants in the US and under-performance in China were believed to be two main factors which led to the almost 50 percent decrease in profits.

Ford said that in Asia Pacific, the company is now focused on China and taking urgent action to address under-performance.

"This includes improving cost competitiveness with aggressive fitness actions, localizing more products in China, as well as recruiting more local talent to key management positions," said the auto maker.

It added that new products will also soon be entering Chinese market, with 60 percent of the line-up being refreshed or new by the end of 2019.

Ford did not reveal specific figures related to its China sales, but put the whole Asia Pacific region's revenue for the second quarter at $2.3 billion, down $1.1 billion year-on-year.

Ford has accordingly lowered its outlook for the whole year of 2018.