Thread: Ford sales up 31% in GCC

Ford sales up 31% in GCC

Ford enjoying sales growth for trucks, SUVs and cars this year. Glorious Mustang helps!

Shahzad Sheikh
19 October 2010

Ford Middle East has announced its sales are up 31% year-to-date across the GCC compared to this time last year. Sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury SUVs and trucks led the growth, with sales up by nearly a third (27 per cent) region-wide in the first nine months of the year. Passenger cars too saw increased demand, showing a boost of 34% - with the new Fusion and Taurus leading the way.

Saudi Arabia recorded the highest levels of growth, registering a staggering 50% boost over the same period last year, with a 46% increase in SUV and truck sales, and passenger car sales up by 54%.

‘2010 has proved to be a good year for Ford,’ said Larry Prein, Ford Middle East’s managing director. ‘The strength of our product line up is being recognised here in the region as well as globally. We’re building new and exciting vehicles that are designed with the region’s customers in mind.

‘With a renewed commitment to quality and affordability, the changes we’ve been making as a company are clearly being recognised and appreciated by consumers and industry experts across the region and the globe.’

Ford’s SUVs are a clear favourite, with Explorer leading sector sales, up nearly 70% in the first nine months of 2010, followed by Flex and Expedition having registered 40% and 35% more sales, respectively.

In the passenger car segment, sales of the Taurus quadrupled in the first three quarters of 2010, compared to 2009. Fusion’s GCC sales jumped 80%.

‘The first three quarters of 2010 have been very successful for Ford and we are pleased with the performance of our products,’ said Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East's regional director for Sales.

‘We are equally optimistic about the last quarter thanks to the great new products we're going to launch in the next few weeks, featuring industry- and sector-leading technologies,’ he added.

‘With the upcoming new 2011 Edge and not just one, but two new Mustangs about to charge just around the corner, we are set to end the year on a high, and take the positive product buzz well into next year,’ added Murad.

Sales in the United Arab Emirates recorded a 10% increase year to date, with the Taurus, Fusion and Mustang contributing to a 7% increase in passenger car sales. Kuwait too enjoyed a healthy performance led by Taurus sales shooting up about 130% truck and SUV sales registered a 14% increase led by Explorer. Oman, Bahrain and Qatar witnessed increasing popularity in the new Taurus, Fusion and Mustang which contributed to an encouraging performance in the passenger car lineup.

http://www.carmiddleeast.com/article-1- ... _31_in_gcc

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