Ford Motor Co. is reporting that the Ford brand passed the two million unit milestone for U.S. sales in 2011 – the first time it’s happened since 2007. New and updated versions of the Fiesta and Focus and the revamped Explorer SUV are receiving the lion’s share of the credit from Ford for this year’s sales surge.
Some of the attribution can be credited to the overall growth in new car market of about 10 percent for 2011 compared to last year. Still Ford says the small Fiesta and Focus are on track for a 20 percent sales increase for the year; and light truck sales, including the new Explorer crossover, are tracking a possible 30 percent increase. In addition, the Fusion midsize sedan is on track for its best year ever, and the Ford Escape has also had a big year. Both the Fusion and Escape are set to be replaced with all-new models next year, which should help Ford continue keep the momentum up in 2012.
“The industry sales rate has exceeded 13 million in each of the last three months,” Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president for U.S. sales and marketing, told the Detroit News. “This suggests the current momentum is not an aberration.”
Overall Ford brand sales in the U.S. are up 18 percent for a total of 1.86 million sales by the end of last month, beating 2010’s first 11 months by roughly 100,000 units. Net income for the first three quarters of 2011 reached $6.6 billion.
Source: Ford, Detroit News
