How an Overlooked Ford Sedan Played a Role in Maintaining Diplomatic Relations Between America and China Post-Cold War

The Ford Tempo is one of those cars you used to see everywhere before it faded into the annals of history - a dependable, but fairly run-of-the-mill compact that ran for two generations during the 1980s and early 1990s. The most exciting thing about this car was that it was Ford's first production passenger sedan to offer all-wheel drive, from 1987 to 1991, for improved traction and handling on wet roads. Beyond that, it's difficult to find anything all that interesting to say about this car from a mechanical perspective.

But, from a historical perspective, it's a whole other story. Would you believe that this car actually had a hand in keeping the United States friendly with China after the end of the Cold War, and keeping China on the Favored Nations list in spite of international tensions carrying over from the 1980s? Maybe you can't credit the Ford Tempo with singlehandedly preventing World War III, but Ford can at least add "international peace-keeping" to its corporate mission statement without being called out on it. Here's why.

What is the Connection Between the Ford Tempo and China?

In the wake of the notorious crackdown by the People's Republic of China on the pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989, the United States joined several other countries in responding to the situation. The US halted weapons exports to China and enacted economic sanctions, urging significant reforms during the G7 summit in Houston in 1990. While trade with China was not entirely banned, the US Trade and Development Agency ceased new business initiatives in the country until 2001, and the US continues to refrain from endorsing developmental bank loans in mainland China.

Tiananmen Square only intensified the dynamics surrounding the conclusion of the Cold War. To put it simply, the initial warmth between the US and China stemmed from their mutual opposition to the Soviet Union. Once the Soviet threat diminished, the global community began to question the longevity of this fragile partnership. It’s akin to a Royal Rumble scenario, where competitors join forces to take down a dominant player like Andre the Giant, only to turn on one another the moment he’s eliminated from the ring.

At this point in history, China wasn't exactly unfriendly with the US, but things were getting tense, and business interests on both sides of the ocean stood to lose a lot of ground if they didn't make some effort to keep the lines of communication open. One way of doing that was for China to buy a whole bunch of cars from American automakers, and therein lies the origin of the Chinese 1992 Ford Tempo.

Creating an American Vehicle for the Chinese Market

Ford's inaugural venture into the Chinese market resulted in the largest single fleet order ever fulfilled by the company at that time, comprising 3,010 custom-built Ford Tempo sedans (ultimately, Ford would produce a total of 8,200 units for China). The Tempos were from the 1992 model year, which had already proven successful in the U.S. market, with sales figures of 35,149 coupes and 154,762 sedans in 1992. The Tempos designated for export to China were exclusively white four-door sedans, featuring the following modifications:

• The car could now run on leaded fuel
• The suspension system was given a heavy-duty upgrade
• The wiring was given a durability upgrade
• Instrument panels were converted to the metric system

The Ford sale came to $32 million USD, with the total deal including purchases from General Motors and Chrysler, coming to a tally of $130 million, or around $296 million today, adjusting for inflation. At the time, China was largely dependent on Japanese imports, although the German Volkswagen Santana - which wa