It was a big start to the year for Ford, which feels it is well positioned with its models.
Ford says sales grew 22% last month, leading to its best January sales performance since 2006.
Best of all, the automakers saw a big increse sales to individual customers, instead of fleets. They were up 24%. Those so-called retail sales are an automakers most profitable because automakers don’t have to offer volume discounts.
Powering Ford’s increase was a 65% increase in sales of its Fusion sedan, one of its most important models because it compete in the crucial midsize sedan segment. Ford’s small car sales were up 29% in January. Ford’s says it was the best January for small car sales since 2000, although it has many more offerings now than it did then.
“Ford is off to a strong start this year, with Fusion and Escape delivering January sales records and F-Series seeing a particularly strong reception this early in the year,” said Ken Czubay, a Ford vice president. “Our investment in fuel-efficient new vehicles – including EcoBoost (turbocharged) engines and hybrid technology – continues to pay off.”
The Escape crossover also set a January record and Explorer, its larger crossover, saw a 46% sales increase. It was its best January since 2005.
Autostyling1's Blog 