MOSCOW, Russian Federation, April 8, 2011 – Ford sold 10,644 vehicles in the Russian Federation in March, up 43 per cent from February 2010 and up 60 per cent from February.
Ford market share in March was 4.8 percent.
For the first three months of 2011, Ford sold 20,919 vehicles in Russia – an increase of 41 per cent compared to the same period in 2010.
"Ford's sales in the first quarter of the year show that the Russian economy is continuing to recover, and that customers in the country are continuing to trust the Ford brand," said Mark Ovenden, managing director, Ford of Russia.
"Ford has a strong presence in Russia, and we will build on this success as Russia moves towards becoming the largest national auto market in Europe by later in the decade."
Key Ford Russia sales highlights include:
With 7,934 units sold, the Ford Focus was again in March Russia’s best-selling car produced in the country by a foreign manufacturer. Also this week, the Focus was awarded Russia's “Best Compact Car of the Year” by Autopanorama magazine at a ceremony in Moscow.
The Ford Focus currently being produced in Russia is the previous version to the all-new model which is just now going on sale in Europe and North America. The all-new Ford Focus goes into production in Russia later this year.
Sales of the Ford Mondeo -- Ford’s other passenger car built in Russia – more than doubled to 2627 units in the first quarter of this year. To fulfill the growing demand from Russian customers for the locally-built Focus and Mondeo cars, Ford’s production facility near St. Petersburg recently added a third shift and more than 500 new jobs.
In 2002, Ford became the first foreign auto manufacturer to begin producing cars in Russia, and since then it has built a solid base in the country. In February of this year, Ford and Sollers OJSC – the second largest producer of passenger and light commercial vehicles in Russia – signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which the parties intend to launch a new 50:50-owned joint venture later this year. The JV to be called Ford Sollers will be responsible for the production and distribution of Ford vehicles in Russia.
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About Ford Motor Company
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’s products, please visit www.fordmotorcompany.com.
Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 51 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.
