Dubai: US carmaker Ford yesterday reported a 31 per cent sales increase in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets in the first nine months of the year. Saudi Arabia was the best market in the period, followed by the UAE and Kuwait, Ford's Middle East managing director Larry Prein told Gulf News.
However, the company did not give total sales figures as those are only released by year-end, according to Ford's company policy.
Sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury SUVs and trucks led the growth, with sales up 27 per cent region-wide. Passenger cars showed an increase of 34 per cent with Ford's latest launches, the new Fusion and Taurus, leading the charge.
In the UAE, the SUV Ford Explorer was the best-selling car, Prein said. Sales recorded a 10 per cent increase year to date, with the Taurus, Fusion and Mustang contributing to a seven per cent increase in passenger car sales. At the end of last year, Ford's market share in the UAE was around 5 per cent, the latest figure disclosed by the company.
"The first three quarters of 2010 have been very successful. We are equally optimistic about the last quarter," said Hussain Murad, Ford Middle East's regional director for sales.
Explorer grows
Explorer sales in the region were up nearly 70 per cent, followed by the Flex and Expedition having registered 40 and 35 per cent more sales, respectively.
Saudi Arabia recorded the highest levels of growth with a staggering 50 per cent increase over the same period last year, and a 46 per cent increase in SUV and truck sales, and passenger car sales up by 54 per cent.
There was also a healthy performance in Kuwait led by Taurus sales that shot up about 130 per cent while truck and SUV sales registered a 14 per cent increase led by the Explorer. In Oman, Bahrain and Qatar there was increasing popularity of the new Taurus, Fusion and Mustang in the passenger car lineup.
Prein agrees with other regional market players that confidence in the sector has come back. "There is certainly more confidence in the market," Prein said. "We have seen it during the last months."
The difficulty of customers in getting bank loans has eased, he added, and this has a positive effect on Ford as the majority of its UAE customers are buying their cars on loans.
Currently, Ford is showcasing its new Edge model at Gitex Technology Week, two new models on the Ford Mustang and the Lincoln MKX are supposed to be presented later this year at the Abu Dhabi Motor Show.
Ford's mid-range brand Mercury, formerly quite popular in the region, will be phased out this year in accordance with the decision of the Ford management in Detroit.
