Thanks to a fresh lineup and government incentives, Ford of Europe posted its strongest October sales numbers in twelve years. The Blue Oval also increased its European market share, although its year-on-year sales are slightly down from 2008.
According to Ford of Europe’s latest sales report, the Michigan-based automaker boosted October sales 12.8 percent to 121,000 units. Ford’s European market share was up to 8.8 percent in October, the automaker’s largest share of the European pie since October 1997.
Ford sales were bolstered by the all-new Fiesta and Ka compact cars, as well as a number of government incentives. However, most government incentives are slated to expire in the coming months, which could have an adverse effect on Ford’s European sales. Germany’s new car incentives expired in September, followed by a 25 percent decrease in October sales.
Through October, Ford of Europe’s yearly sales were down 3 percent to 1.2 million vehicles. However, that is better than the overall market decline of 8.1 percent.
