“We’re starting to see the economic metrics start to go in the right direction," said Mark Fields, Ford Americas president. "I’m cautiously optimistic on consumer confidence.”
Although the executive did not offer exact sales figures for the current month, his comment indicates that the U.S. automotive market is seeing a rebound after the negative situation registered last year. Industry deliveries registered a 24 percent increase last month, marking the fifth consecutive monthly rise.
"The big question is not so much do we have a recovery, but to what extent and how long will it take?” Fields added, showing that the automaker has bold ambitions for the future.
Ford, the only one of the Big Three U.S. carmakers to avoid bankruptcy last year, posted a 43 percent sales increase in March, as compared to the same month of 2009, managing to sell 178,546 vehicles in this period. The achievement also marks the company’s 17th monthly market share gain, over the last 18th months.
The 2010 first quarter sales report shows that Ford sold a total of 428,596 vehicles, a figure that can be translated into a 37 percent increase over the one posted in the same period of last year. The increase was driven by the surges registered in March and February, which are the highest monthly increases the carmaker has registered since 1984.
The company is making multiple efforts to improve its product range, including the expansion of its EcoBoost efficient engine line-up, in order to maintain the sales momentum.
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