Ford to Unveil New Escort at Auto China - Analyst Blog

Ford Motor Co. F will unveil the new Ford Escort at Auto China 2014, the biggest Chinese auto show. It will also showcase the Ford Everest Concept as well as the new Ford Mustang at the car show.

Apart from these cars, the entire range of Ford cars that are available in China will also be on display at the auto show. The automaker is also displaying the full range of EcoBoost engines for the first time in China. Additionally, there will be various indoor and outdoor display areas highlighting various features of Ford cars, like the SYNC AppLink, SYNC Emergency Assist, Active City Stop safety feature, the Active Park Assist smart technology and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS).

The new Ford Escort compact car has been designed to meet the requirements of Chinese consumers. Meanwhile, the Ford Everest Concept is a midsize, seven-seat off-road SUV that has been designed in Australia. It will likely be manufactured by one of Ford's joint venture partners in China, Jiangling Motors Corp. (JMC).

The 2015 Ford Mustang, which was unveiled globally in December last year, will be on display at a Chinese auto show for the first time. The vehicle will be available with two engine options in China – a 2.3-liter EcoBoost and a 5.0-liter V8. A 3.7-liter V6 engine option is also available in the car in North America, but not in China.

These cars are a part of Ford's plan to launch 15 new models in China by 2015. The popularity of the expanded product line-up boosted the automaker's sales in China by 49% to 935,813 units in 2013. The improvement continued in 2014, with a 45% increase in sales to 271,321 vehicles in the first quarter.

Ford currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked automobile stocks worth considering are Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA, Fox Factory Holding Corp. FOXF and Toyota Motor Corp. TM. Toyota carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Tesla and Fox Factory carry a Zacks Rank #2.