Soaring van sales lift Ford to nine-year high

Ford sales and share increases based on SMMT figures

Ford CV sales are close to triple those of its nearest rival
Transit Custom and Transit 1st and 2nd in CVs
Ford leads all market sectors: total vehicle, cars and CVs
Combined Transit range sales rank a clear 2nd in UK total vehicle sales, behind Fiesta

SOARING van sales lift Ford further ahead as UK market leader across all market sectors in February, with a 16.1% total vehicle market share for a nine-year high, up from 14.5% a year ago.

Ford commercial vehicle sales rocketed up by 20.1% against a year ago, compared with a market rise of just just 2.0% to take nearly a third of the total market (4,598 of 16,718). Market share was up too, from 23.4% in 2015 to 27.5%

Ford is in its 51^st year of UK CV market leadership and it has been confirmed that in 2015 it was also the most popular CV brand in Europe.

Ford’s fresh and extended CV range is delivering record levels of sales with CV registrations close to triple those of its nearest rival in February. Fiesta Van, Transit Courier, Transit Custom, Transit and Ranger are all first in their respective market segments.

Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: “Ford’s strong sales start to 2016 has resulted in our highest February total vehicle sales since 2007.

“This is the result of our continued investment in exciting products and industry-leading technologies that has provided the foundation for our ‘Unlearn’ marketing campaign that challenges consumers to take a fresh look at the brand, using the Mustang, Edge and GT as prime examples of bold and surprising new models.”

According to the official SMMT figures, February car sales in the UK were up 8.4% at 83,395 registrations, compared with February 2015. Ford sold 11,513 cars in February, up 16.8%, compared with a year ago. Ford’s car sales lead over its nearest rival was 3,645.

Ford remains the clear leader in retail car sales, at 17.4% – its retail car sales share was its highest since January 2009 and 8.7 percentage points ahead of its nearest rival.

The Ford Fiesta has been the UK best-seller for seven years and maintaining that position by a significant margin with 4,507 sales – nearly 2,000 over its nearest rival – and a 5.4% market share in February.