Ford sales and market share were boosted across its car and CV ranges in February as its share of retail car sales continued to strengthen.
Ford’s top-selling car range secured 15.0 per cent of the February market, up 0.5 percentage points, and Ford commercial vehicle (CV) sales and share were up, compared with February 2012. According to official sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT):
· Ford leads UK overall, car and CV sales in February and for the year to date.
· Ford Focus and Fiesta are the No 1 and 2 best sellers.
· Ford B-MAX already accounts for over 23 per cent of its segment sales.
· Ford light commercial and medium commercial vehicle sales and shares up.
According to the official SMMT figures February car sales in the UK were up 7.9 per cent at 66,749 registrations, compared with February 2012. Ford sold 10,005 cars in February, up from 8,957 in February 2012.
Ford’s retail car market share strengthened further in February – at 13.8 per cent it was 4.3 percentage points up from February 2012 and 4.5 percentage points of share ahead of its nearest rival. Ford retail car sales in January were 4,022 up from 2,339 in 2012.
Sales of both the best-selling Ford Focus and the Ford Fiesta were up, at 3,853 and 3,655 registrations respectively, compared with February 2012. There were also increased sales and shares for the Ford Ka and the C-MAX range, while the Ford B-MAX is already a key player in the market with 1,731 registrations for the year to date accounting for 23.4 per cent of sales in its segment.
UK commercial vehicle sales in February were up 5.0 per cent, compared with February 2012. Van registrations grew 11.8% to 9,149 in the month continuing positive 2013 performance at 25,198 units. Total sales of Ford commercials in February were up from 2,375 to 2,717, compared with the same month last year, with share up from 19.7 to 21.8 per cent.
Ford medium commercial sales, headed by the industry-leading Ford Transit, were up from 2,027 to 2,272 and Ford’s share of MCV sales was 32.6 per cent up from 31.7 per cent in February 2012. Ford light commercial sales increased from 348 to 445 and share was up from 11.2 to 12.8 per cent, compared with February 2012.
Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain managing director, said: "Ford is maintaining its sales discipline in a fiercely competitive market by driving up its share of more profitable retail sales.
“This strategy is supported by the launches of award-winning vehicles and technologies and the unrivalled strength of our dealer network. Already in 2013 we have seen the sales launches of the new Ford Fiesta range, the Ford Transit Custom and the Ford Kuga and there is more to come with the Ford Fiesta ST and further additions to our CV and SUV ranges."
