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Ford’s European sales rose 6.6 percent in the first half of 2014 on the strength of new vehicle launches and an uptick in industry-wide sales.
Ford’s sales volume in its 20 traditional markets in Europe totalled 605,400 vehicles in the first six months of the year – 37,700 vehicles, or 6.6 percent, more than in the same period in 2013. This compared to a total industry growth in sales of 6.3 percent for the first half of the year. Ford’s market share in Europe was level at 7.9 percent.
The number of Ford vehicles sold in June also was up compared to the same month last year. More than 109,000 Ford vehicles were sold in the month, a 2.2 percent increase on June 2013. Market share was down by 0.2 of a percentage point at 8.0 percent.
“The pricing environment in Europe remains extremely competitive,” said Stephen Odell, president, Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa. “But our sales are growing on the strength of our new vehicle line-up, and we continue to beat the industry average in higher value sales channels – retail, fleet, and commercial vehicle sales.
“We’ve so far launched 15 new or significantly freshened vehicles since we announced our One Ford transformation plan for Europe in October 2012. We still have several new vehicles to come in the second half, including the new Focus and the all-new Mondeo.”
Ford’s quality of sales mix continued to improve, with retail and fleet sales June year-to-date amounting to 72 percent of total sales, a one percentage point improvement on the same period in 2013, and two percentage points better than the industry average. In June, Ford retail and fleet sales were 73 percent of its total sales, three percentage points better than in the same month last year, and five percentage points better than the industry average.
More than 52 percent of Ford sales in the first six months of the year were of all-new or significantly freshened vehicles. These new products also are helping to improve Ford dealer profitability, which is up around 50 percent in the first half. This profit improvement is helping Ford dealers to make the investments needed to enhance the customer experience with better online portals and new-look dealerships.
Ford commercial vehicle sales at 104,000 vehicles in the first half were up by 10.5 percent, and marked the best June year-to-date sales volume performance since 2011. Ford’s commercial vehicle market share for the first half was up 0.3 of a percentage point to 10.5 percent, its best performance since 1998. Last month saw Ford achieve its best commercial sales volume for the month of June since 2008, and its best June commercial vehicle market share since 1996.
Sales of Ford vehicles equipped with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost advanced petrol engine – which recently was awarded the International Engine of the Year award for an unprecedented third successive year – also significantly increased in the first six months of the year, up by 15.3 percent compared to the same period last year.
Launched in 2012 with the Ford Focus, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost is now available in Europe in a further nine vehicles: Fiesta, B-MAX, EcoSport, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, Tourneo Connect, Tourneo Courier, Transit Connect and Transit Courier. Over 30 percent of Fiesta sales and more than 33 percent of Focus sales were of 1.0-litre-equipped versions in the first half of the year. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost is already available in the Fiesta in North America, and also will feature in the North American Focus at the end of the year.
June year-to-date, Ford has launched three all-new vehicles in Europe – the two-tonne Ford Transit, the Tourneo Courier and Transit Courier – and still has more all-new or significantly freshened vehicles to come in the second half of the year. These comprise of the new Focus range – including the Focus ST with an advanced diesel engine for the first time – the Mondeo family featuring the Mondeo Hybrid, and the C-MAX Energi PHEV.
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* Effective January 2014, Ford of Europe reports its sales for the 20 European main markets where it is represented through National Sales Companies. Previously, Ford referenced 19 countries. Romania has been added as the 20th market. Ford of Europe also has introduced a market share for the total of the 50 European markets within which it operates. A detailed list of markets is below.
