Ford says Focus tops world car sales in 2012

Ford Motor Co said its Focus model was the world's best-selling passenger car in 2012, boosted by demand from China and the United States, citing data from automotive consulting firm Polk.

The carmaker sold 1,020,410 Ford Focus compact cars last year, it said on Tuesday. More than one out of four Focus cars were sold in China, with registrations in the world's biggest auto market up 51 per cent, according to Polk. 

Focus was launched in China in late March last year. US sales were up 40 percent in 2012, said the carmaker, whose line-up also includes the popular F-Series pickup trucks.

The overall industry has posted annual sales increases in the double digits since 2009, when it hit the worst annual sales rate since World War Two, adjusted for population.