Ford to withdraw from Japan and Indonesia markets

Ford has stated that it will cease operations in Japan and Indonesia and pull out of the markets soon.

In a statement published on the Ford Indonesia website, local MD, Bagus Susanto said, "Today we have announced a difficult business decision to withdraw from all our operations in Indonesia in the second half of this year. This includes closing Ford dealerships and stopping the official sale and import of all Ford vehicles."

Susanto added that Ford dealers will remain open until “sometime” in 2017 before the brand’s warranty and repair responsibilities are handed over to a third party.

A Ford spokesman was also quoted as saying that there was no "reasonable path to profitability" for the company’s operations in Indonesia.

The US carmaker will also close down all of its dealerships in Japan and stop selling the Focus, Fiesta, Mustang by the end of this year. Other models offered in Japan include EcoSport, Kuga and Explorer SUVs. The two Lincoln models sold in Japan – the Navigator and MKX SUVs – will also be withdrawn from the local market.

According to Reuters, Ford has managed to sell only 5,000 cars in Japan in 2015, despite having had a retail presence in the country since 1974. It is believed that about 52 dealerships will close and 300 people will be made redundant.