Ford on course for all-time record annual sales

MANILA, Philippines–Judging from what Ford Philippines has achieved in the first three quarters of the year, the company’s fourth-quarter performance is shaping up to be an impressive one.

With a total of 14,564 units sold, Ford Philippines’ performance from January to September has improved by 52 percent, putting the company on course for all-time-record annual sales.

Aside from posting a record 63-percent growth—after selling 2,010 units in September—which is an all-time monthly performance, Ford Philippines also attained its best-ever quarterly performance in the Philippines after sales improved by 71 percent (or 5,700 units) compared to the same July to September period last year.

More ways to connect

“Our product-led transformation and expanding Ford network of showrooms in the Philippines is giving customers even more ways to connect with the Ford brand and our segment-leading vehicles. The EcoSport is a great addition to our lineup, and nameplates like Ranger, Explorer, Everest and Fiesta are continuing to do very well this year,” reported Kay Hart, Ford Philippines managing director.

The record monthly and quarterly totals were driven by the continued demand across the Ford lineup, including the all-new EcoSport, which in September alone delivered its best monthly performance—699 units were sold—since being launched in April.

Overall sales of the all-new EcoSport, which combines the agility, affordability and fuel efficiency of a compact car with the flexibility and spaciousness of a sport utility vehicle, have already reached 3,380 units.

With this feat, the all-new EcoSport has become Ford’s second most popular nameplate here after the Ranger pickup.

“The all-new EcoSport is a right-sized vehicle that was developed with the market’s traffic and road conditions in mind. Combine this with its practical smart features like SYNC (Ford’s proprietary dashboard technology, developed in collaboration with Microsoft) and Hill Launch Assist (helps prevent roll back, momentarily holding the car when the driver releases the brake while on a steep inclined road), and a very attractive price point (from P775,000 to P975,000), it’s really creating a market niche,” explained Hart.

On the other hand, with 767 units sold in September, the monthly sales of the Ranger improved by 75 percent (compared to September 2013). This performance contributed to the an all-time-record third quarter performance (July to September) for the pickup truck as sales soared to 84 percent—or 2,224 units—from the same quarter last year.

“We’re continuing to enjoy strong sales performance across the full Ranger lineup, both the automatic and manual transmissions, and across the country, helping to underscore the versatility of this unmatched pickup truck,” said Hart.

Continues to be a hit

Ford’s another popular brand, the Everest family SUV, continues to be a hit as September sales reached 249 units, helping drive total sales by 21 percent or 2,439 units.

The Fiesta compact hatch and sedan also contributed to the company’s record quarter sales as 479 units were sold.

The Fiesta is powered by either Ford’s global 1.5-liter Ti-VCT engine or the high-performance 1-liter EcoBoost engine that delivers the power and performance of a naturally-aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline engine (while delivering class-leading fuel economy and emissions levels).

Sales of the Explorer, Ford’s premium midsize SUV, jumped 66 percent in September as 78 units were sold. This beefed up total sales to 858 units or 17-percent improvement.