Ford sales jump 91% in 1st qtr

MANILA, Philippines - Ford Philippines’ sales jumped 91 percent to 2,685 units in the first quarter this year from a year ago due to strong demand across its vehicle range.

“I think there were a lot of growth drivers. Ranger is certainly a growth driver from last year and the new Focus. Both of which were up significantly over the last year,” Ford Philippines president Randy Krieger told reporters at the Manila International Auto Show 2013 held in Pasay City yesterday.

The Fiesta and Everest, he said, were also contributors to the higher sales seen for the period.

“It was kind of across the whole range,” he added.

Asked how many vehicles the company expects to sell this year, he declined to give a target but said they expect significant growth in sales from last year.

The company sold about 10,000 vehicles last year.

Krieger said the company expects the Ranger Wildtrak pickup launched yesterday to help drive higher sales for the year.

“We think it is going to be a big hit. It is something customers have been asking for,” he said.

“The Ranger Wildtrak is truly a truck with no compromise – delivering class-leading power and safety, excellent fuel efficiency, smart technologies, and unmatched versatility and capability,” he noted.

The Ranger Wildtrak is available in three variants –the Duratorq TDCi 2.2 liter Variable Geometry (VG) Turbo 4x4 in both six-speed manualand automatic transmissions priced at P1.349 million and P1.419 million, respectively and the Duratorq TDCi 3.2 liter VG Turbo 4x4 with a six-speed automatic transmission which costs P1.549 million.

The Wildtrak can carry a payload capacity of more than 1,400 kilograms, has Bluetooth Voice Control allowing the owner to makecalls as well as play tunes through voice command, and can forge through floods with confidence given its water wading capability of upto 800 millimeters.

Aside from the Wildtrak, other new vehicles to be made available in the country such as the new Fiesta and EcoSport are also seen to help achieve higher sales.

As it aims for higher sales, Krieger said Ford is expanding its dealership network to reach a total of 35 by the end of this year.

The company had 21 dealerships at the start of last year.