FORD STRETCHES UK MARKET LEAD IN NOVEMBER WITH MAJOR BOOST IN CV SALES

UK market leader Ford extended its total vehicle sales advantage over its nearest rival by 40 per cent in November with Ford commercial vehicle (CV) sales comfortably beating overall CV market sales growth.

According to the official figures for November from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT):

•Ford is market leader for cars, commercial vehicles and total vehicle sales
•Fiesta is the UK best seller for November and the year to date
•Transit nameplate sales would place the brand second in UK total vehicle sales
•Ford’s total vehicle sales lead over its nearest rival now exceeds 110,000

Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: “We maintained our strong momentum in November, with Ford further stretching its sales lead over its nearest rival.

“Fiesta is an outstanding success for Ford in the UK market and this is now being matched by our extended Ford CV family, with total Transit nameplate sales, for example, exceeding those of any car in the UK – apart from Fiesta. This sales performance is the result of a continuous stream of new models and innovative technology delivered through the strongest dealer network in the UK.”

The official figures released by the SMMT today show that total car sales in November were up 8.0 per cent at 172,327, compared with November 2013. Ford’s November car sales were 19,159, up from 17,798 in November 2013. For the year to date (end November) total UK car sales were 2,310,237, up 9.4 per cent compared with the same period in 2013, while Ford car sales for this period were 306,134, up from 286,949.

Ford Fiesta’s total registrations of 123,747 for the year to date make it the UK best-seller by a significant margin. This sales total would place it seventh in the list of top-selling car manufacturers, meaning that Fiesta on its own outsells the car ranges of all but five of Ford’s rival car makers.

Ford’s broad customer appeal across its car range is demonstrated by Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX, Kuga and Galaxy all being placed in the top three in their respective market segments.

UK commercial vehicle (CV) sales in November were up 4.2 per cent at 29,245, compared with November 2013. Ford CV sales in November were up 24.8 per cent at 7,287, compared with November 2013. For the year to date total UK CV sales were up 13.1 per cent at 333,728, compared with the same period in 2013. Total sales of Ford CVs for the year to date were up 23.6 per cent at 80,192, compared with 2013.

The full availability of Ford’s extended CV family helped deliver Ford light commercial sales and share increases in November (2,206 and 30.4 per cent versus 451 and 6.3 per cent in November 2013) and for the year to date (16,203 and 18.2 per cent versus 9,045 and 10.4 per cent for the same period in 2013). In the new Ford light commercial range, the Ford Transit Courier has quickly taken leadership in its segment, joining the Ford Fiesta Van as further LCV segment leader for Ford.