Ford Motor Company : Ford’s Total Sales Rise in Europe in 2011 Despite Economic Headwinds

• Ford sales in its 51 European markets in 2011 grew by 2.4 per cent, or 36,700 units, to 1,578,400 vehicles 
• December sales in Ford's 19 traditional European markets increased by 2.4 per cent to 86,900; sales volume in the these markets for the full year decreased by 1.3 per cent
• Ford's vehicle market share in its 19 traditional European markets in December was 7.7 per cent - half a percentage point higher than in December 2010. Full year market share of 8.3 per cent was down slightly from last year's 8.4 per cent
• Almost 190,000 new Ford Focus cars have been sold since it started to go on sale early in 2011, and Ford C-MAX sales doubled to 122,900 vehicles in 2011
• Ford was Europe's No. 2 best-selling car brand for the fourth straight year
• Ford was the UK's best-selling car brand for the 35th straight year and best-selling commercial vehicle brand for the 46th straight year
• Full year vehicle market share in Germany was 7.4 per cent, up from 6.9 per cent a year ago. In December, Ford sales in Germany climbed by 27.7 per cent
• Ford sales in Turkey rose 14 per cent and Ford sales in Russia rose 31 per cent; respectively, they were Ford's fourth and fifth largest European markets by volume in 2011
• Ford of Europe said it plans to launch more than 10 new or refreshed vehicles in 2012, along with multiple new powertrains and technologies

COLOGNE, Germany, Jan. 13, 2012 - Ford Motor Company leveraged newly introduced vehicles and strong momentum in Russia and Turkey to increase overall sales this year in its 51 European markets despite the economic headwinds that buffeted the region.

Ford sales across its total 51 European markets in 2011 increased by 2.4 per cent, or 36,700 units, to 1.58 million vehicles. Ford's performance was buoyed by continuing strong sales of the Fiesta, which was Ford's top-selling car in Europe, as well as rising demand for the all-new Focus and C-MAX.  

"Despite the serious economic challenges we all faced in the region, 2011 was an exciting year for the Ford brand in Europe," said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. "We made a commitment to relentlessly deliver new products and technologies even in the toughest of times and it's paying off.

"This year will be one of the busiest years for new model launches in Ford of Europe's history with more than 10 new or refreshed vehicles - such as the new B-MAX and Kuga -- hitting showrooms along with all-new powertrains and technologies like Ford SYNC," Odell added.

In its traditional 19 Western European markets, Ford was the No. 2 best-selling car brand for the fourth consecutive year with 8.3 per cent market share. Ford was the UK's best-selling car and commercial vehicle brand in 2011 for the 35th and 46th consecutive years, respectively.

Ford also was the No. 1 brand in Hungary and Turkey, and top-imported brand in Italy and the Czech Republic.

Ford's market share in Germany rose to 7.4 per cent in 2011, up from 6.9 per cent in 2010. Ford sales in Germany increased by 18 per cent in 2011, including a 28 per cent gain in December.

"We made solid in-roads, particularly in growth markets such as Russia, Turkey and Eastern Europe, and in Europe's largest market, Germany, in 2011. This is a very good sign that our brand is getting stronger," said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Services, Ford of Europe. "German customers tend to be very discerning and it's not easy to convince them to change their brand loyalty. It's the strength of our vehicle range that is winning over new customers, and we very much appreciate the confidence they are showing in the Ford brand in buying our products in increasing numbers."

Italy was Ford's No. 3 European sales market in 2011, with new vehicle registrations of 155,400.

Ford's full year vehicle sales in Turkey increased by 14.4 per cent to 141,700 units compared to the same period last year, marking the highest annual sales volume since 2007.

Russia was Ford's fifth-largest market by sales volume in 2011, with total vehicle registrations of 118,000, up 30.9 per cent or 27,800 units versus the full year 2010. Last year was the best sales year for Ford in Russia since 2007.

Eastern Europe continues to be another growth market for Ford, with sales volumes growing by 19.1 per cent in 2011.

In December, new registrations for Ford in its full 51 markets European region markets increased by 1.1 per cent, or 1,400 units, to 127,300 vehicles. Ford's market share in its 19 markets was 7.7 per cent last month, 0.5 percentage points higher than the previous year, and sales volume increased by 2.4 per cent to 86,900 units. This compares to a total industry sales volume decline of 4.1 per cent in these 19 markets.

2011 Successful Newcomers: the Ford C-MAX and Ford Focus

With 8,500 units sold last month, sales of the Ford C-MAX nearly doubled in the last month of 2011 - the best December volume for the vehicle since 2007, and its share at its best-ever level since the original C-MAX was launched in 2003. In 2011, C-MAX sales doubled to 122,900 vehicles, the best full year sales performance for C-MAX since 2006.

After nine months on sale in Europe, 188,600 new Ford Focus cars have been sold in Europe, making it the No. 2 top-selling car for Ford in Europe in 2011. In the UK, the Focus is the No. 2 best-selling vehicle in the market behind the No. 1-ranked Ford Fiesta.

Full Year 2011 performance (Euro 19 plus Russia and Turkey)

Market Performance:

• No.2 top-selling passenger car brand in Europe year-to-date for the fourth consecutive year.
• Market leader in the UK, Hungary and Turkey. 
• Ford's share was at 8.3 per cent, down by 0.1 ppts on the full year of 2010.
• Ford's share increased in seven of its main 19 European markets, plus in Turkey and Romania.
• Achieved top-selling car and commercial vehicle brand position in 2011 in Britain for the 35th and 46th consecutive year.
• Leading import brand in the Czech Republic and Italy for the full year 2011.
• The highest share gains of all 19 markets in the full year 2011 were in Austria (+0.6 ppts at 7.1 per cent share) Germany (up 0.5 ppts at 7.4 per cent) and Switzerland (+0.2 ppts at 6.0 per cent).
• For the full year 2011, Turkey's share was at 15.7 per cent, the same as in 2010. Sales in Turkey increased by 17,900 units to 141,700 in the full year 2011 - 14.4 per cent sales plus on the same period 2010. 2010 full year sales for Ford in Russia were at 118,000, up by 30.9 per cent or 27,800 units on 2010.

Model Performance:

• The three best-selling vehicles in the full year 2011 were the Fiesta (345,600), Focus (188,600) and Transit (145,200).
• Fiesta remained No.1 best-selling car in the UK for the full year 2011 - for the third consecutive year, while Transit was the best-selling commercial vehicle in 2011.
• C-MAX has been a hit with customers in the full year 2011 with sales of 122,900, up by 110,400 on the full year 2010 - the best full year volume since 2006, whilst C-MAX full year share was the highest since 2004.
• C-MAX and S-MAX were the best-selling foreign vehicles in their segment in France.
• Transit full year commercial vehicle share of 12.9 per cent was the highest since 2003, due to sales of 145,200, up 16,000 on 2010.

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.

# # #

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 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 .

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.