Ford Maintains Clear Market Lead With Stronger Retail And CV Sales

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM – May 8, 2013: UK market leader Ford increased its car and commercial vehicle (CV) sales in April and for the year to date, compared with 2012.

Ford’s retail car sales were also up for April and for the year to date, compared with 2012. The Ford Fiesta was the retail sales leader, continuing to outsell its nearest rival by more than two to one.

According to the official sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT):

Ford leads UK car and CV sales in April and for the year to date

Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus are the UK’s number one and two best sellers

Ford extends its April retail car sales lead by 89 per cent over its nearest rival

Ford B-MAX takes segment leadership in April

Ford CV sales and share up in April and for the year to date

Ford Transit is now the UK’s sixth best-selling vehicle in April

Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain chairman managing director, said: "April continued the positive news in the UK market that has seen Ford’s car and CV models sustain their impressive sales record through 2013.

“Our best-ever vehicle range has proved attractive to private customers, helping to drive up our share of more profitable retail sales. The quality of the Ford model range is underlined by the Ford B-MAX achieving segment leadership as well as the successful launches this year of the new Ford Fiesta, the Ford Transit Custom, the Ford Kuga and the headline-grabbing new Ford Fiesta ST."

The official figures released by the SMMT today show that total car sales in April were up 14.8 per cent to 163,357 units, compared with April 2012. Ford car sales of 22,178 were up from 20,621 in April 2012. For the year to date (end April) total UK car sales were 768,555 up 8.9 per cent compared with 2012, while Ford car sales for this period were 106,525, up from 103,469 in 2012.

With a total of 8,083 registrations the Ford Fiesta was the UK best seller in April – 1,999 sales and 1.2 percentage points of market share ahead of its nearest rival. On retail sales alone the Fiesta’s lead is even more significant at 2,733 registrations and 3.3 percentage points of market share.

In April the Ford B-MAX secured leadership of its segment with 1,442 sales, accounting for a 24.6 per cent segment share. The B-MAX joins the Ford Fiesta, Focus and Galaxy, which also lead their respective segments.

UK CV sales in April were up over 25 per cent, compared with April 2012. Total sales of Ford CVs in April were up from 3,822 to 5,900, compared with the same month last year, with share up from 18.5 to 22.8 per cent. For the year to date (end April), Ford CV sales are up from 20,628 to 24,659 with share up from 20.6 to 22.5 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

Ford medium commercial sales, headed by the industry-leading Ford Transit, were up from 3,096 to 5,013 and Ford’s share of MCV sales was 32.2 per cent up from 27.0 per cent in April 2012. The Ford Transit is the sixth best-selling vehicle in the UK, outsold in Ford’s model range only by the Fiesta and the Focus.

Ford Transit leads all CV segments in which it competes, with its share of the one tonne segment bolstered by the introduction of the Transit Custom and the Tourneo Custom. Ford Fiesta van also leads its segment by a clear margin, taking 60.8 per cent of its segment for the year to date