FORD EUROPEAN SALES GAINS CONTINUE WITH BEST JULY AND YEAR-TO-DATE MARKET SHARE IN 10 YEARS

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Ford, the No. 2 best-selling new vehicle brand in Europe, increased its market share for the seventh consecutive time last month, resulting in the company’s best July and year-to-date market share performance since 1999.

Ford of Europe had 9 percent market share in its main 19 European markets, up 0.6 percentage points from July 2008. Ford’s share for the first seven months of 2009 was 9.1 percent, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from the same period a year ago.

In total, Ford sold 125,200 new vehicles in its main 19 European markets in July, up 5 percent, making it the second month in a row this year that Ford has posted a sales increase from the prior year period. Ford’s 5 percent volume increase contrasts to a 1.5 percent industry decline in the same month.

“As we are moving into the second half of the year, we are encouraged to see Ford at a 10-year high market share for July and, as a result of this, firmly established as Europe's second best-selling new vehicle brand in Europe,” said Ingvar Sviggum, Ford of Europe’s vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service.

The sales success was driven by strong customer demand for the latest Ford products across the line-up, including the Fiesta, new Ka, and best-selling Focus. The company’s product portfolio allowed it to improve market share in 13 of its main 19 European markets. The improving European results follows news of positive sales performance in other key Ford markets around the world in July, including China, the U.S. and Canada.

In the first seven months of 2009, Ford of Europe registered 871,400 vehicles in its 19 main markets, down 7.3 percent over the same period in 2008. This compares with a total industry decline of 12.2 percent in that period.

“We're also pleased to have increased sales volume for the second consecutive month, while the industry is still declining,” said Sviggum. “The industry figures show, however, that despite the positive impact of various national vehicle scrappage schemes, the overall trend is still negative and the underlying market weak.”

Sviggum added: “We strongly believe that these incentive schemes should continue for as long as practically possible, and then be phased out in an orderly manner to avoid any dramatic reduction in market demand that could damage the still fragile improvement we have seen in recent months.”

July Market and Model Sales Highlights:
Markets:

• Ford was market leader in the U.K., Ireland and Hungary; in Hungary, share was at 17.8, up by 7.8 ppts. on the same period 2008, the highest share since 1994.
• Ford’s sales volume in Germany increased by 45 percent (while industry grew 24 percent) in July, and the company had its highest monthly share there since June 2004.
• Similarly, Ford Austria’s July sales were up by 45 percent, to a record high for the month of July since 1994.
• Ford continues to be the leading imported brand in Italy, with volume up by 35 percent, despite the Italian industry being up by only 3 percent in July.
• Sixty-one percent of Ford passenger cars sold went to retail customers in the Euro 19 markets, up from 47 percent in July 2008.
• Ford was among the three best-selling brands in 13 of 19 European markets.

Models:

• Ford of Europe’s three top-selling vehicles (19 main markets) were the Fiesta (39,900), the Focus (28,700), and new Ka (10,500).
• In Germany, the Fiesta became segment leader in July, the first time since the vehicle’s market entry there in October 2008.
• In the U.K., where Fiesta sales were up by over 26 percent vs. the same month 2008, Fiesta remained the industry’s best-selling vehicle.
• In June, Fiesta was both Europe's second best-selling car and the leader in the small car segment.
• In July, 39,900 Fiestas were delivered to customers in Europe -- 14,500 units more than the previous Fiesta model sold in July 2008.
• New Ford Ka continues to be a success in the market despite the economic downturn. Ford sold 10,500 units in July (up 7,500 on July last year).
• Ford Focus remained No. 2 best-selling vehicle across the industry in the U.K., behind the Fiesta.
• The Ford C-MAX was the best-selling foreign vehicle in its segment in France.
• Transit had its best July performance since 2003 (Euro 19 markets).

July Year-To-Date Market and Model Highlights
Markets:

• Market leader in the U.K., Ireland and Hungary.
• Italy (share up by 2.0 ppts. to 9.7 percent) and the UK (up by 1.5 ppts. to 17.9 percent share) had the highest share gains in the five largest markets in the first seven months of 2009.
• Year-to-date sales volume increased by 37 percent in Germany (vs. an increase of 21.3 percent for the industry).
• Ford was among the three best-selling brands in 12 of its Euro19 markets.

Models:

• The three best-selling vehicles in the first seven months of 2009 were the newFiesta (277,700), Focus (183,600) and Transit (70,300).
• In the first seven months of 2009, Fiesta sales were up 75,000 over the sameperiod in 2008. Approximately 340,000 Fiestas have been sold since the car was launched last autumn. Seventy-four percent of all Fiestas sold year-to-date were to retail customers (Euro19 markets).
• 62,300 Ford Ka vehicles were delivered to Ford customers this year. Eighty percent of all Ka sales (Euro 19 markets) year-to-date were to retail customers.
• The Ford C-MAX was leading its segment in Italy, as was the Focus Wagon.
• Ford S-MAX, Focus and Mondeo were among the top three sellers in their segments in Spain for the first seven months of 2009.
• Kuga saw highest sales growth in the compact SUV segment year-to-date in Spain.
• Focus was best-selling industry vehicle in the first seven months in Hungary in 2009.