Record Sales in September
● Ford sales were up 13% in the third quarter of 2012.
● In the first nine months of the year, Ford sales showed a year-over-year increase of 16,5%.
● Record breaking monthly sales for Ford Explorer and Ford Kuga in September.
● Ford Transit was the most popular foreign brand commercial vehicle in Russia in the first nine months of the year.
Ford Sollers has announced its third quarter 2012 sales results. From July to September, 32,527 Ford vehicles were sold in Russia – a 13% increase on the third quarter of 2011.
In the first nine months of 2012, Ford sales were 95.880, resulting in a 16,5% year-on-year gain. In addition to strong Ford Focus and Ford Mondeo sales, significant growth was also seen in sales of Ford SUVs and commercial vehicles.
Every month so far this year, Focus has led its segment among its non-Russian brand competitors, and has increased its sales by 20%. With its debut in Russia in the third quarter of 2011, Focus has brought to its segment a number of new advanced technologies usually only available in more premium vehicles, such as the PowerShift automatic transmission, Active Park Assist and the Blind Spot Information System. Today, more than 40% of Russian customers order vehicles with at least one of these smart technologies.
Ford Explorer and Ford Kuga sales during September totaled 371 and 422 vehicles respectively – the best ever sales month for both models since the launch of these models on the Russian market.
“It is very important for us to match the supply of Ford vehicles with the growing customer demand. We made a big decision when we launched local production of the Explorer and Kuga in Tatarstan, the great results that we’ve achieved with these outstanding SUVs in such a short period of time proves that we made the right choice,” said Ted Cannis, President and СЕО, Ford Sollers.
On October 1, 2012, Ford Sollers, the joint venture business equally-owned by Ford and Sollers, celebrated its first anniversary. The first production milestone for the new business was the manufacture in Russia of the Ford Transit commercial vehicle. For the first nine months of the year, Transit was the best-selling nameplate in the commercial vehicle segment among the non-Russian brands. During September, Transit sales in Russia totaled 1206 units – the best ever sales month for Transit in the country.
“Transit is an important product for the Russian market, and we are glad that we can meet the demand for this vehicle”, said Adil Shirinov, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Ford Sollers. “We expect it to go from strength-to-strength as more customers come to experience the reliability and quality of this iconic commercial vehicle.”
New Ford dealerships also have started operations in Sochi, Orel, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Saint Petersburg and Tchita. The number of active Ford dealerships in Russia today totals 116 in 76 cities.
About Ford Sollers
Ford Sollers joint venture is responsible for the production, import and distribution of all Ford brand products, including vehicles, parts and accessories, in Russia. Ford Sollers joint venture includes production facilities in Vsevolozhsk (St. Petersburg region), Naberezhnye Chelny and Elabuga (The Republic of Tatarstan) and headquarters located in Khimki (Moscow Region).
