Although it will probably never manage to beat the number 1 (Volkswagen), Ford continues to be proud of the second position (it is in second place in Europe for the third year in a row now), one which it held on to in 2010 perhaps even tighter than in the year of the crisis, 2009.
Last year, Ford sold 1,279,000 vehicles in 2010, surprisingly fewer than the number of units sold in 2009. The market share of the brand dropped by 0.7 percent to 8.4 percent in its main 19 European markets.
"2010 was a challenging year for the European auto industry, including Ford," said Stephen Odell, Ford of Europe CEO. "It was almost inevitable Ford would lose some share and sales in Europe. This was in part due to some of the competitive actions in the market, but also because we received a boost in 2009 introducing the all-new Ford Fiesta and Ka models just as scrappage schemes were taking effect."
In 2011, however, the situation will likely change, if not dramatically, than in a way that will make Ford an even fiercer competitor. Several very interesting models are coming to Europe next year, complete with their Blue Oval badges: the new C-Max line and the new Focus, just to name a few.
Having in mind the fact that Ford plans to roll out in the next few years no less than 20 new or revised models (including an all-new Ford Kuga, a B-segment car, a new commercial vehicle range, the Ford Ranger), it’s likely the numbers will be much higher in the years to come.
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