Ford’s European Sales up 10.5 % in May

Ford’s auto sales across its 51 European markets (including Russia, Turkey and certain countries from North Africa) in May rose 13 percent to 143,800 units, up by 16,600 units from a year earlier. May sales in the firm’s traditional 19 European markets rose by 10.5 percentage points to 116,500, up by 11,100.

Year to date, the company’s sales across its total 51 markets across Europe in the first five months of 2011 were up 0.6 percent to 684,000 vehicles compared to the same period in 2010, while in its traditional 19 European markets, Ford saw its sales drop 4.6 percent to 570,400 units.

Ford said the lower sales in the 19 European markets were due to the scrappage schemes that were still in place in the early part of 2010 as well as the company’s decision to selectively reduce participation in low margin business.

May sales highlights

Market Performance (Euro 19 plus Russia and Turkey):

• May sales in Russia were 9,900 units, an increase of 37 per cent or 2,700 units on 2010, while Ford in Turkey reported a sales gain of 22 per centto 12,800 units, up by 2,300 units versus May 2010. Eastern European sales were up 19 per cent.
• Ford was market leader in the UK and Denmark and No.1 imported brand in Italy.
• Ford’s share in its 19 European markets was 8.3 per cent for May, an improvement of 0.1 ppts.
• Ford increased share in 11 of the traditional19 European markets.
• Ford in Germany reported sales of 24,000 for the month of May, up by 5,900 units or 32.5 ppts on 2010, with a market share of 7.2 per cent, up by 0.5 ppts – the best share in the market since 2009 – without the scrappage scheme this would have been the best May share since 2004.
• In Britain, Ford had a market-leading share of 15.6 per cent – an increase of by 0.5 ppts on 2010.
• Highest share gains in the Euro 19 were in Portugal (up 2.1 ppts, with share at 7.4 per cent), Finland (up 1.6 ppts; share at 9.0 per cent) and Denmark (up 1.4 ppts; share at 13 per cent).

Model Performance (Euro 19):

• Fiesta (32,200), all-new Focus (18,800) and Transit (13,300) were Ford’s top-selling models
• New C-MAX sales were 11,700 in May, and total sales are 68,300 units since launch in late 2010. This also was the best May for C-MAX sales since 2004.
• S-MAX and Galaxy had another strong month in May, with S-MAX sales up by 800 units to 4,200 or 23 per cent, the highest May volume since 2008, whilst Galaxy saw sales of 2,600, up by 700 units on 2010, an increase of 35 per cent on May 2010.
• Fiesta was best-selling foreign vehicle for the month in Italy.
• Since its market debut in October 2008, 1,233,000 customers have purchased the Fiesta around the world, with more than 1,137,000 cars having been sold in Europe.
• Transit sales soared to 13,300 units (up by 2,800 on May 2010) or an increase of 27 per cent, the largest May volume for Transit since 2008.
• C-MAX was the best-selling foreign vehicle in its segment in France in May.

Year-to-date May 2011 performance Market Performance (Euro 19 plus Russia and Turkey):

• Market leader in the UK, Hungary and Turkey.
• Ford’s share at 8.3 per cent, down by 0.5 ppts on the first five months of 2010.
• Germany’s year-to-date May 2011 volume grew to 108,000 up by 21 per cent or 18,800 units, the highest year-to-date May sales since 2009 (without the scrappage scheme it would have been the highest May ytd sales since 2004).
• Ford’s share increased in four of its traditional 19 European markets, plus in Romania.
• Leading import brand in Italy for the first five months of 2011.
• Scandinavian markets are going from strength to strength in the first five months of 2011. Finland had registrations of 6,900 up by 1,500 units, an increase of 28 per cent on 2010 and the highest year-to-date May volume improvement there since 2008. Sweden’s sales volume was at 9,600 up by 1,800, representing an increase of 23 per cent on the first five months of 2010, the highest May year-to-date sales since 1998.
• The highest share gains of all 19 markets year-to-date 2011 were in Norway (+ 0.5 ppts at 8.3 per cent share), Austria (+ 0.5 ppts, at 7.1 per cent, whilst volume at 12,300, up by 2,400 was the highest YTD May volume there since 1999) and Germany (+ 0.4 ppts to 7.4 per cent).
• For the first five months of 2011 sales in Turkey increased by 18,300 units to 53,200 – a 53 per cent sales plus on the same period 2010 and the highest ever may ytd sales performance for Ford in the country. 2011 May year-to-date sales for Ford in Russia were at 40,700, up by 38 per cent or 11,200 units on the same period 2010.

Model Performance (Euro 19):

• The three best-selling vehicles year-to-date May 2011 were the Fiesta (161,200), Transit (63,800) and new C-MAX (55,700).
• Year-to-date May Transit volume and share were the highest since YTD May 2003.
• In the first five months of 2011, Fiesta remained the best-selling foreign vehicle in Italy.
• Fiesta was the UK’s No.1 selling car year-to-date, while Transit was the best-selling commercial vehicle in the first five months of 2011.
• New Focus sales achieved a sales gain of 18,100 – the highest volume improvement of a Ford vehicle in the main 19 markets YTD May of 2011. In Germany C-MAX sales were up 147 per cent on the first five months of 2011.
• C-MAX and S-MAX were the best-selling foreign vehicles in their segment in France.