Ford sales up 44%

MANILA, Philippines - Sales of Ford Philippines went up 79 percent to 8,360 units from January to August this year compared to sales of the comparable eight month period  last  year.

August sales alone, compared year-on-year, rose  44 percent to reach 826 units amid strong demand for the company’s vehicle lineup.

“Despite the impact of the heavy monsoon season in August, we continued to see strong interest for our full lineup of segment-leading Ford vehicles at showrooms across the country, helping further drive our performance this year,” Ford Philippines managing director Kay Hart said in a statement.

The company noted that the all-new Ranger continued to be its best-selling nameplate in the Philippines this year as it delivered retail sales of 323 units in August and its overall year-to-date sales reached 2,774 units.

“The unmatched versatility and capability of this extraordinary truck is helping drive its wide appeal among our expanding base of customers in the Philippines,” Hart said.

Also contributing to the firm’s higher sales was the Ford Everest family sports utility vehicle which delivered retail sales of 167 units in August.

As of end-August, it sold 1,726 units of the Everest, 104 percent higher than in the same period last year.

The company also said strong customer response to the upgraded Ford Explorer lineup has helped year-to-date retail sales to more than double to 690 units from last year.

Retail sales of the Ford Focus reached 76 units in August which helped increased year-to-date sales  79 percent to 677 units from a year ago.

As Ford launched the new Fiesta last month, the company is confident that the vehicle model would help support higher sales.

“We are absolutely confident the new Fiesta will remain one of the clear leaders of the small car segment by delivering an unmatched combination of fuel efficiency, safety and smart technologies - helping further drive its popularity in the Philippines and we look forward to its first full month of sales in September,” Hart said.

To further enhance customer experience, Ford is expanding its dealership network.

Over the next four months, Ford plans to establish dealerships in Baguio and Zamboanga to bring its dealership network to 35 by the end of the year.