Ford grows retail business in June

Ford maintained its leadership of the UK vehicle market for the year to the end of June, at the same time as it announced a new pricing strategy across its passenger car range.

Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus are the clear UK best sellers for 2010, in first and second positions, respectively.  Ford Fiesta sales totalled 57,508 in the first half of 2010 while Ford Focus sales were 48,314.  Ford Fiesta is the firm favourite with retail customers with a total of 31,654 retail sales for the year to date.

During June, according to official figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Ford was a clear leader in retail car sales, with 10,337 registrations, and in commercial vehicles with 5,447 sales.  To maintain the integrity of its business, Ford consciously capped less profitable short-cycle rental business during June, which reduced fleet sales for the month and placed Ford second in terms of overall car sales with 23,716 registrations.

The announcement of a new pricing regime for Ford passenger cars on July 1, which makes the value of Ford cars much more obvious, has resonated well with private customers.

Ford is reducing the official recommended list prices on its medium and small cars from August 2.  This follows similar action on Ford's large car range in April.  Ahead of the August price changes, dealers will be offering special promotions which mirror the coming lower prices.

Nigel Sharp, managing director Ford of Britain, said: "In June we took an early decision to cap the volume of short-cycle rental business in order to protect the residual values of vehicles bought by fleet and retail customers.  The appeal of our best ever vehicle range is reflected in rising retail sales, boosted by our new pricing strategy, which is leading the market in making the whole purchase process more transparent."