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"I can't speak to
what Sergio or others wake up and want to say," Fields told
reporters ahead of next week's Beijing motor show.
After being rebuffed by General Motors <GM.N> last year,
Marchionne said last week that Ford, Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T>
and Volkswagen AG <VOWG_P.DE> are the only remaining merger
candidates for FCA.
Marchionne has long called for mergers among large automakers to
help diffuse development costs for advanced cars that pollute
less.
Fields largely reiterated a written statement Ford issued last
week, saying: "I can just say we have no interest other than
executing our plan, delivering product excellence and driving
innovation in every part of our business. That is our sole
focus."
Speaking in Beijing, Fields said the company sees 23.5 million
to 25.5 million vehicle sales for the overall Chinese market
this year, representing flat to slight growth over 2015.
Fields declined to give a target for Ford China sales for this
year. However, Ford's China sales gained 14 percent in the first
three months of the year to 314,454 units, outpacing 6 percent
growth for the overall market.
The U.S. automaker has been locked in a dead heat for
fifth-largest in passenger car sales with Toyota and Nissan in
China, according to China Association of Automobile
Manufacturers statistics. It overtook the Japanese automakers in
sales for the first quarter this year after finishing behind for
2015.
Ford makes cars in China through joint ventures with Chongqing
Changan Automobile <000625.SZ> and Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC)
<000550.SZ>.
"We have a lot of confidence in the medium- and long-term over
the continued growth in the China market," Fields said.
(Reporting by Jake Spring; Editing by Tom Hogue)
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