Ford Posts Impressive Europe Sales

Ford Motor Co’s auto sales in Europe’s 19 core markets have leaped 19.8% to 113,100 vehicles in November. This has resulted in a year-to-date market share of 9.1% for the company, the highest since 1999.

The sales included a registration of 99,800 Ford cars, also the highest since Nov. '99. The automaker’s market share in the month went up in 14 out of 19 European markets. However, its market share across the 19 core markets declined by 0.1 percentage points to 8.7% compared to last year.

Year-to-date, Ford sold about 1.3 million cars and trucks in these 19 markets, leading to a decline of 18,400 units or 1.4% from the year-ago level. This compares to the year-to-date industry decline of 6%.

In the U.S., Ford succeeded in sustaining a strong position in the market by posting flat sales at 122,846 vehicles during November. The automaker’s sale of crossovers grew 26% while its car sales rose 14%, driven by a fuel-efficient product line. However, sales of trucks and SUVs posted double-digit declines due to a deteriorated construction industry and fuel-inefficiency, respectively.

It seems that Ford, which returned to profitability in the third quarter with a net income of $873 million, has begun to fulfill its promise to become solidly profitable in 2011 with the rebound in sales in Europe and the U.S. and significant model launches, including Fiesta and Taurus.