FORD CLOSES ITS CENTENARY YEAR AS UK MARKET LEADER
BRENTWOOD, Essex, 6 January, 2012 - Ford of Britain's centenary year in 2011 also marked 35 consecutive years of car sales leadership for the blue oval and 46 years of UK commercial vehicle (CV) sales leadership.
Ford's top-selling vehicle range secured 15 per cent of the UK's total 2011 market for the blue oval.
Other highlights of the official full-year 2011 figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) include:
- Ford is the number one UK car brand for 35 successive years.
- Ford commercial vehicles have been the UK's favourite for 46 years.
- Ford Fiesta is the UK best seller for the third successive year.
- The new Ford Focus and C-MAX ranges record significant sales and share increases, compared with 2010.
- All Ford CV models record sales increases, compared with 2010.
According to the official SMMT figures full year car sales in the UK were down 4.4 per cent at 1,941,253 registrations. Ford sold 265,894 cars in the UK last year, down from 280,364 in 2010, during an intensely competitive trading period.
Ford Fiesta was the UK car sales leader again in 2011, having taken the position from the Ford Focus in 2009, with 96,112 registrations. In its launch year, the new Ford Focus increased sales from 77,804 to 81,832, compared with 2010, and the new Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX combined to more than double sales from 8,357 to 18,925, compared with full year 2010 C-MAX sales.
Ford Transit has led the UK CV sector from its launch in 1965. The Transit helped account for a significant growth in Ford CV sales in 2011, totalling 71,607, up from 62,308 in 2010. Ford Transit sales alone were up from 46,300 in 2010 to 56,363 in 2011, representative of sales increases across the whole Ford CV range in 2011. Apart from Transit, Ford Fiesta Van, Ford Transit Connect and Ford Ranger all increased sales.
The official figures released by the SMMT today show that in December UK car sales were down by 3.7 per cent to 119,188 units, compared with December 2010. Ford car sales were 14,689, up from 13,953 in December 2009 and Ford's overall share of car sales was 12.3 per cent for the month, up from 11.3 per cent in December 2010.
The Ford Fiesta was the UK no 1 best seller in December and the Ford Fiesta, Ford C-MAX and Ford Galaxy all registered overall sales and share increases, compared with December 2010.
Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain managing director, said: "Ford's 2011 sales performance benefitted from a combination of our best-ever range of vehicles, advanced technology engines, including the new low-CO2 EcoBoost engines, and the unrivalled strength of our dealer network.
"More people choose Ford over any other vehicle brand in the UK and as weface economic uncertainty and intense competition in 2012 we will look to satisfy the needs of our private and business customers through the introduction of a number of new models and technologies, starting with the launch of the new Ford Ranger and the introduction of the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine in Ford Focus."
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