Ford Grows 33%, Manages First Market Share Gain in 14 Years

“Ford’s plan is working.” This is how Ken Czubay, Ford vice president for US Marketing Sales and Service sums up the sales results posted today by the American manufacturer. With a 33 percent increase in sales in December and the first full-year market share gain since 1995, we have to agree: Ford's plan IS WORKING.

“Ford’s plan is working,” Czubaysaid. “Customer consideration continues to grow for our high-quality, fuel-efficient vehicles. In 2010, we will introduce an even higher number of new products, giving customers more reasons to Drive One.”

“People increasingly are discovering that the Ford difference is the strength of our products, particularly our leadership in quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart technologies and value.”

The single American manufacturer to have made it through 2009 without any major government intervention (we know, we kinda abused this phrase, but we use it to emphasize what Ford managed to do) sold 179,017 vehicles in December (33 percent up vs. December 2008) and 1.62 million the whole year (15 percent down vs. 2008).

As for the market share, Ford says it has now reached about 15 percent, only 1 percent higher than in 2008, but enough to mark the first US market share increase since 1995. Also, December marked the 14th time in 15 months that Ford increased retail market share.

The last month of 2009 brought Ford's brands all round increases: Ford sales were up 37 percent, Lincoln sales up 16 percent and Mercury sales were up 6 percent.