Ford will begin to sell vehicles directly to customers in China through a new battery-electric vehicle organization.
It is reported that this new business will focus specifically on the research and development, manufacturing, sales and user experience of EVs in China and initially handle sales of the Ford Mustang Mach-E in the local market. This model, as well as other EVs that are on the cards, will be available through a direct sales network that will operate in 20 major cities across the country, The Detroit News reports.
Read More: Ford Mustang Mach-E Officially Heading To China For Local Production
Ford’s new EV organization will provide a “one-stop ‘Everything Online’ experience which includes service appointments, pickup and delivery of cars,” the company has confirmed.
While the Ford Mustang Mach-E is already on sale in various markets and has started to reach the hands of customers, models sold in China will actually be built in China and evidently, the car manufacturer believes the most efficient way to get them to consumers is through a similar direct sales model as used by Tesla for many years.
Of course, Tesla and Ford’s new EV organization in China aren’t the only automakers with such a sales model. Electric vehicle startups Rivian and Lucid Motors have also announced plans to sell their forthcoming models directly to consumers in the United States, although this plan has come under fire by the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association.
Handling Chinese production of the Ford Mustang Mach-E will be the Changan Ford joint venture with it arriving later this year. The EV will be offered in a handful of guises in China, including in performance-focused GT form with dual electric motors and a 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint time in the 3-second range.
