Ford Fiesta Europe’s Best-Selling Small Car in First Quarter of 2013; New Fiesta Sold Every Two Minutes

• New Ford Fiesta was Europe's top-selling small car in March and for the first quarter of 2013, and the second best-selling car in Europe overall, according to figures released by JATO Dynamics*

• European customers purchased a new Fiesta every two minutes as Ford sold more than 41,600 Fiestas in March, and more than 77,800 during the first quarter of 2013, according to JATO

• Fiesta retail market share in the small car segment increased by 1.2 percentage points in March in the 19 traditional European markets tracked by Ford

• One out of four new Fiestas sold this year feature Ford’s award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine; 60 per cent are ordered with SYNC and Emergency Assistance

DEARBORN, Mich., May 14, 2013 – The Ford Fiesta was Europe’s best-selling small car in March and for the first three months of 2013, according to the latest figures from the world's leading provider of automotive data and intelligence, JATO Dynamics.*

European customers bought Fiestas at a rate of one every 100 seconds during the first quarter for 2013 – 41,600 in March, and 77,800 total in the first three months of 2013 – 14,000 units more than its nearest rival, according to JATO.

Parked bumper-to-bumper the Fiestas sold during the first quarter would cover the equivalent of 770 laps of a 400 metre Olympic running track.

“It’s clear from the rate that our new Fiesta is flying off forecourts that its striking a chord with Europe’s small car customers,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe.  “The small car segment is probably more competitive than it has ever been and the new Fiesta is gaining retail market share and reaching new customers on the strength of its design, technology and drive dynamics.”

Fiesta’s retail share – sales to private customers – in its segment rose by 1.2 percentage points in March**. Incoming orders from customers also increased by 8 per cent in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year.

The new Fiesta offers seven powertrain options that offer sub-100 g/km CO2 performance*** including the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, the 2012 “International Engine of the Year”. One quarter of Fiestas sold this year in Europe were equipped with 1.0-litre EcoBoost.

The new Fiesta also features dynamic new exterior and interior styling with benchmark design, craftsmanship and ergonomics, in addition to offering Ford MyKey, which enables parents to place restrictions on younger drivers to promote safety.

Also new to Fiesta is Ford’s SYNC voice-activated in-car connectivity system featuring Emergency Assistance, which can alert local emergency services operators to an accident in 26 languages, spoken in 40 European regions. Sixty per cent of new Fiestas ordered during the first four months of the year feature the Euro NCAP Advanced reward-winning system.

The most popular colour to date is Frozen White, chosen by 23 per cent of customers – rising to 40 per cent in Greece – followed by Panther Black and Moondust Silver. Fifty-five per cent of Fiesta buyers have opted for the Charcoal Black interior, including 84 per cent of U.K. customers.

Fiesta was earlier this year named the best-selling subcompact car globally in 2012 with 723,130 registrations, by automotive data and trends forecasting leader Polk. It was also the best-selling small car in Europe in 2012 according to JATO Dynamics, with European consumers buying 306,405 models in total.

New Ford Fiesta 5-door B-roll

Further assets can be found at: http://fiestatechnology.fordmedia.eu

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* JATO Dynamics results are based on information provided by JATO Consult, the company's bespoke consulting service.  Figures are based on 30 European countries. For more information please visit www.jato.com.

** 19 European markets tracked by Ford; increase is industry-adjusted

*** The stated fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are measured according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 as last amended. The results may differ from fuel economy figures in other regions of the world due to the different drive cycles and regulations used in those markets.