Ford Sees Strong Sales in UK and Russia in May; Overall Sales Declined as Market in Europe Remains Weak

• Ford sales in the UK – Ford’s largest European market – rose 11.7 per cent in May, and market share increased 0.5 percentage points to 16.1 per cent
• Ford sales in Russia increased by 11.1 per cent in May, and 24.5 per cent year-to-date
• Ford market share in Turkey rose by 1.2 percentage points to 16.4 per cent in May; Turkey was Ford’s third-largest European market by volume after the UK and Germany
• In Eastern Europe*, Ford’s sales were 4,200 units in May and 20,600 year-to-date, up 7.3 and 12.8 per cent on the same periods 2011, respectively.
• Overall, Ford’s market share fell 0.2 percentage points to 8.1 per cent in its 19 traditional European markets in May; year-to-date share at 8.2 per cent is down 0.1 percentage points
• Ford strengthened its No. 2 best-selling European brand position both in May and year-to-date for both total vehicles and passenger cars

COLOGNE, Germany, June 14, 2012 – Ford’s May vehicle sales in the UK – Ford’s largest  European market – increased by 11.7 per cent to 30,300 vehicles and its market share rose 0.5 percentage points to 16.1 per cent.

In Russia, Ford sales grew by 11.1 per cent in May and 24.5 per cent year-to-date, with the company’s share rising by 0.3 percentage points to 4.3 per cent for the first five months this year. Russia was Ford’s fifth-largest sales market by volume in May and May year-to-date.

Ford’s market share in May in its traditional 19 Western European markets decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 8.1 per cent year over year on total sales of 102,100 vehicles. Year-to-date, Ford’s market share is 8.2 per cent in the region, down 0.1 percentage points compared with the first five months of 2011.

Ford strengthened its position as the No. 2 best-selling European auto brand both in May and year-to-date for both total vehicles and passenger cars.

“May sales confirm that the market remains weak in Europe and that this will be a challenging period for the industry for some time to come,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “It is more important than ever to offer customers a strong, exciting product portfolio, which is why we are fortunate to be launching acclaimed vehicles such as the Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost, Focus ST and the all-new Ford B-MAX multi-activity vehicle.”

In its total 51 European markets, Ford sold 130,000 vehicles in May, 9.3 per cent or 13,500 units lower compared with May 2011. In the first five months of the year, Ford sales in these markets totaled 630,500 vehicles, a reduction of 7.6 per cent on the same period last year.

In Eastern Europe*, Ford’s sales were 4,200 units in May and 20,600 year-to-date, up 7.3 and 12.8 per cent on the same periods 2011, respectively.

Ford increased its share in Turkey by 1.2 percentage points to 16.4 per cent in May, making Turkey the company’s third-largest European market by volume behind the UK and Germany, and ahead of Italy and Russia. In France, Ford’s fourth-largest market year-to-date, Ford increased its share by 0.2 percentage points to 5.3 per cent in May.

Ford’s sales in Germany were 21,500 in May and 103,600 year-to-date, a reduction of 2,500 and 4,400 units versus last year. Share was 6.8 per cent in May, down from 7.1 per cent in May last year. Year-to-date, Ford’s share in Germany was 7.1 per cent, 0.3 percentage points lower than in the same period in 2011.

Ford retained market leadership in the UK, Turkey and Hungary in both May and for the year.
The Ford S-MAX had its best May sales volume and share since 2008; similarly, the Ford Galaxy saw its highest May sales volume since 2008 and its best May share since 2005. Ford’s commercial vehicles ended the month with a share of 9.2 per cent, the best share for the month of May since 2008.

May 2012 sales volume (in registrations)

¹ The Euro 19 markets are: Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Ford reports sales for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania through our Finish National Sales Company, so sales data for the Baltic states are also included within Euro 19.
² The Euro 22 markets are: Euro 19 plus Russia, Turkey and Romania.
³ Total Euro 51 composed of EURO 22 registrations and EDM 29 retail sales, as total EDM 29 registrations figures are not available. Industry retail sales data not available. EDM 29 or European Direct Markets are: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

May 2012 market share ⁴

⁴ Data is not available for EDM, where we base our share on non-domestic sales volumes. Ford share calculated with preliminary industry results for some markets. Therefore, industry and share are subject to change slightly due to minor adjustments in some markets as official sources publish their final industry data.

Ford Top 5 markets ranked by May 2012 volume (in regs.)

Top 5 markets ranked by Ford's share in May 2012

May 2012 sales (in registrations) by vehicle line (Euro 19) ⁵

⁵ Figures do not include vehicles such as car-derived vans, Maverick, Explorer imports and Turkish-built Cargo heavy trucks. Data are based on registrations.

*Notes to Editors:
Ford of Europe's market share refers to the 19 European markets (Euro 19) - excluding Russia, Turkey and Romania (as the other main markets) and excluding the 29 European Direct Markets (EDM), where we base our share on non-domestic sales volume and hence no total industry share figures are available. Sales data (reference: registrations) for specific car lines refer to Euro 19.
We also report our sales performance (passenger cars and commercial vehicles) for the total region for which Ford of Europe is responsible (51 markets in total), here however as retail sales (as total industry registrations numbers are not available).
The Euro 19 markets are: Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Ford reports sales for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania through our Finnish National Sales Company, so sales data for the Baltic states is also included within Euro 19.
*EDM 29 or European Direct Markets are:
Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
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Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 66,000 employees. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford of Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 22 manufacturing facilities, including joint ventures. The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.