Ford Reports Best First Half Sales In Europe After 2010

Ford Motor Company

revealed Friday that it recorded its best first half for total vehicle sales and passenger car sales in Europe after the 2010. According to the automaker, it also posted the best commercial vehicle sales after the year 1993 in its 20 traditional European markets. For the first half of the current year, Ford total vehicle sales rose 7.5 percent to 718,700 vehicles in the Euro 20. That translated into a market share of 7.9 percent. The company added that including Russia and Turkey, its sales grew 7.2 percent to 792,800 vehicles in the first six-month period. In all of 50 European markets, the company's vehicles sales advanced 7.1 percent to 807,500 vehicles in the first half of the current year. Its market share was flat at 7.7 percent in the same period. The company attributed the strong performance in Europe to the private retail segment and success in selling higher-end vehicles apart from continued commercial vehicle leadership. Ford's VP, Marketing, sales and service, for Europe, Roelant de Waard, said, "Customers across Europe are buying nicer Fords -- from performance heroes like Mustang and Focus RS, to our new flagship Edge SUV, to more upscale Titanium and Vignale versions of our mainstream vehicles. Just as importantly, we have become Europe's commercial vehicle leader with our Transit and Ranger line-up." The company's sales in higher value channels improved with retail and fleet sales accounting for 74 percent of car sales, which was three percentage points up from last year and five percentage points better than the industry average. Waard continued to say, "The second half will be another exciting product story for Ford of Europe. With the Edge coming out now, the updated Transit vans with our all-new EcoBlue engine and the new ST-Line, we will continue to surprise customers. We are also excited about the KA+, an entry-priced small car that offers outstanding interior space, fuel efficiency and fun-to-drive dynamics at an affordable price." The stock shed 0.11 percent on Friday at the time of writing this.