FORD Motor sold a record number of vehicles in China in November, helping the US carmaker drive past the 1 million mark before the year ends, the company said in Shanghai yesterday.

Ford attributed the sales growth to strong performance by its Chinese joint ventures, booming demand for premium and high-margin models like SUVs and tax incentive policies.

Ford and its joint ventures in China sold more than 1.09 million vehicles in the first 11 months of 2016, reaching the 1 million mark one month faster than in 2015. Monthly sales hit 124,113 vehicles in November, up 17 percent year on year.

“Ford is gaining momentum in China each month and we are on pace for a record year in China,” said Peter Fleet, vice president of marketing, sales and service of Ford Asia-Pacific. “We are seeing increasing demand across our line-up, particularly our full family of SUVs.”

Changan Ford Automobile, Ford’s passenger car joint venture in China, saw monthly sales above 96,000 vehicles, up 14 percent year on year. Jiangling Motor Corp, Ford’s commercial vehicle investment in China, sold over 26,000 vehicles last month, up 29 percent.