Ford Phl posts record sales

MANILA, Philippines - Ford Philippines saw record-high monthly sales in October on the back of strong demand for its vehicles.

The company said in a statement its sales reached 1,248 units in October, up 50 percent from last year’s 834 units.

The firm’s sales in October beat the previous all-time high monthly sales of 964 units seen in September.

Ford said its record-high monthly sales were supported by an increase in the purchases of its current vehicle line-up.

Purchases of the Ford Fiesta were up 26 percent to 307 units from last year, while sales of the Ford Escape sports utility vehicle (SUV) rose 67 percent to 142 units from a year ago.

Sales of the Ford Everest, the midsize SUV meanwhile reached its highest monthly sales of 311 units last month.

Ford said the availability of new vehicles such as the all-new Ranger, all-new Explorer with EcoBoost, all-new Focus and the Ford Mustang sports car are also giving a boost to the firm’s sales momentum.

“Customer response to our newly launched One Ford vehicles has been exceptional. Segment leading vehicles like the all-new Ranger, the technology packed all-new Focus, the all-new Explorer with EcoBoost, and the iconic Ford Mustang, are really helping widen the appeal of the Ford brand to so many new-to-Ford customers,” Ford Philippines president Randy Krieger said.

Ford saw sales of the Ranger pickup surge 213 percent to 282 units in October from last year.

The firm sold 62 units of the Focus last month, while sales of the iconic Mustang reached 45 units.

“Our record performance in October is further evidence that Ford continues to deliver vehicles that our customers want and value – and just as importantly to them – that are affordable,” he said further.

The firm announced earlier it would halt its assembly operations in Laguna in December as it ends the manufacture of the Ford Escape vehicles.

It said though that it remains committed to the country as it intends to grow its dealer network.

It opened a new dealership  in Cainta last month, the first of 12 to be set-up over the next six months to support the company’s aggressive growth plan in the country.