Ford says December China auto sales up 35 percent on year

Ford Motor Co. unveils its 2015 Ford Mustang in Shanghai December 5, 2013. REUTERS/Aly Song·Reuters

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (NYS:F) and its local partners in China sold a total of 94,838 vehicles on a wholesale basis in December, an increase of 35 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Monday.

That compared to a 47 percent increase in November and a 55 percent jump in October.

In 2013, sales by the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker totaled 935,813 vehicles on a wholesale basis, up 49 percent from 2012, helped by Ford Focus, the best selling model in China last year.

Ford partners with Chongqing ChangAn Automobile Co Ltd and Jiangling Motors Corp in making vehicles in the world's biggest automotive market.

(Reporting by Samuel Shen and Kazunori Takada; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

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