Ford Market Lead Builds Further In October

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM – Nov 7, 2013: Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: "Ford’s long-standing market leadership has always been founded on its outstanding product offering and today’s best-ever vehicle range, supported by the expertise of Ford Credit and our nationwide UK dealer network, is extending our sales lead. Private customers have been driving up our share of more profitable retail sales, one of the key pillars of a strong overall business.”

The official figures released by the SMMT show that total car sales in October were up 4.0 per cent to 157,314 units, compared with October 2012. For the year to date (end October) total UK car sales were 1,952,238 – up 10.2 per cent compared with 2012.

Ford car sales in October were 21,325, up from 20,740 in October 2012. For the year to date Ford car sales were 270,342, up from 245,109 for the same period in 2012.

Ford’s share of retail car sales in October was up 0.2 of a percentage point at 13.3 per cent, compared with October 2012, and for the year to date retail share was up 0.9 of a percentage point, also at 13.3 per cent, compared with 2012.

Ford Fiesta was the UK best-seller in October with increased sales and share, compared with October 2012. Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus are the number one and two best-sellers for the year to date – both models have increased sales and share, compared with the same period in 2012.

Sales success across the Ford car range in 2013 has seen the Ford Ka, Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX and Kuga all increase sales and share for the year to date, compared with the same period in 2012.

The U.K. was Europe’s strongest market for Fiesta sales during the first nine months of 2013, with more than 96,000 cars sold, followed by Germany, Italy, France and Spain. Fiesta also was recently identified as the best-selling sub-compact car globally, with 356,434 units registered in the first half of 2013, according to Ford analysis of Polk global vehicle registration data.

UK commercial vehicle sales in October were up 25.3 per cent, compared with October 2012, and for the year to date were up 7.5 per cent. Total sales of Ford CVs for the year to date were up from 58,486 to 61,360.

In its 48th consecutive year as the UK’s best-selling commercial vehicle, the Ford Transit is also the UK’s seventh best-selling vehicle, outselling many cars. Sales of the recently launched Transit Custom have now exceeded 8,000, to add to the success of the Transit nameplate.