Ford cars and crossovers drive impressive sales in 2008 first-half

04 July 2008

Mumbai: Ford Motors showed impressive sales figures in the first half of 2008, with sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars and crossovers recording higher sales than 2007. Retail sales for cars increased 3 per cent and crossovers also were up (less than 1 per cent). Together, cars and crossovers accounted for 59 per cent of Ford's first half retail sales compared with 49 per cent in the first half 2007.

Ford's new Focus was a front runner in the increased car sales of 2008. In the first half, Focus retail sales increased 53 per cent year-onyear, and it was the top-selling domestic car to retail customers. In the recently released J D Power and Associates' 2008 APEAL study, the Focus improved 88 index points - the largest improvement in the industry. (Also see: FORD Focus is the most improved model in the JD Power and Associates 2008 APEAL study)

Mid-size cars also posted retail sales increases in the first half with Ford Fusion up 7 per cent, Mercury Milan up 2 percent and Lincoln MKZ up 10 per cent. The Ford Edge paced crossovers with first half retail sales up 19 per cent.

Rise in gasoline prices (from $3 to $4 a gallon) during the first half accounted for the drop in sales of SUV and trucks. In the first half, retail sales for the company's SUVs declined 40 per cent versus a year ago and retail sales for trucks and vans declined 31 per cent.
First half fleet sales also declined 11 per cent (including a 20 per cent decline in daily rental sales).

Overall, June sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles totaled 167,090, down 28 per cent versus a year ago. First half sales totaled 1.1 million, down 14 per cent.

In June, Ford introduced a new crossover, the Flex, with best-in-class highway fuel economy of 24 miles per gallon and Lincoln introduced the MKS. In 2009, the MKS will be the first vehicle equipped with Ford's new EcoBoost engine technology.