Ford sets new China sales record

NEW YORK - Ford (F) is reporting record sales of about 1.1 million vehicles in China last year.

The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said Friday that its 2015 sales in the country were up 3 percent from the previous year.

It also set a new monthly sales record in December, selling 124,768 vehicles. That's up 27 percent from the prior-year period.

Ford Motor Co.'s passenger car joint venture, Changan Ford Automobile, broke its annual and December sales records. For 2015, the joint venture sold 836,425 vehicles. It's a 7 percent rise from 2014. It sold 96,960 vehicles in December, a 49 percent jump from the year-ago period.

Jiangling Motors Corp., Ford's commercial vehicle investment in China, reported a 6 percent decline in annual sales and a 12 percent drop in December sales.