Ford maintains UK market leadership in February

(March 5, 2015) BRENTWOOD, Essex — Ford was the United Kingdom market leader in total vehicle, car and CV sales in February, and also the clear leader in retail car sales with a sector share double that of its nearest rival, putting  Ford in prime position heading into March, when sales increase significantly due to the registration plate change.

According to the official sales figures issued today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT):

    Ford leads UK overall, car and CV sales in February.
    Ford retail car sales and share up in February and for the year to date.
    Fiesta leads February sales in its seventh year as the UK best seller.
    Fiesta leads retail sales with registrations more than double its nearest rival.
    Ford CV sales and share up in February and for the year to date.
    Transit nameplate sales would place the brand second in total vehicle sales.

Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said:  "Ford’s long-standing market leadership is being consolidated by our growth in more profitable retail sales, which play a significant role next month when the March registration plate change will result in sales around eight times higher than February.

“At the Geneva motor show this week there was further evidence of our continued investment in exciting products and industry-leading technologies, which is the foundation of our sales success.  On show were the new Focus ST, S-MAX, Mustang and Vignale models, while the Ford GT and Focus RS took starring roles as our future technological and performance flagships.”

According to the official SMMT figures, February car sales in the UK were up 12.0 per cent at 76,958 registrations, compared with February 2014.  Ford sold 9,858 cars, of which 5,114 were retail car sales, securing 16.4 per cent of that segment, double the share of its nearest rival.  This share is more than a percentage point ahead of Ford’s 15.3 per cent retail car sales share in February 2014 and for the year to date Ford’s retail car sales share is up from 13.9 to 14.5 per cent, compared with the same period in 2014. 

Fiesta’s February registrations of 4,096 again made it the clear UK best-seller. This sales total would place it seventh among the top-selling car manufacturers, meaning that Fiesta on its own outsells the car ranges of all but five of Ford’s rival car makers.  At 3,086, Fiesta’s retail sales were more than double those of its nearest rival.

Ford’s broad customer appeal across its car range is demonstrated by Ka, Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, Kuga and Galaxy all occupying top three places in their respective market segments in February.



UK commercial vehicle sales in February were up 20.2 per cent at 16,321, compared with February 2014.  Total sales of Ford CVs were up 36.7 per cent at 3,803, compared with February 2014.  Ford light commercials sales in February were up from 308 to 897 registrations, compared with February 2014, and its LCV market share increased from 7.4 to 21.5 per cent.

The full availability of Ford’s extended CV family has helped deliver these significant Ford light commercial sales and share increases.  However, to underline that Ford’s CV models are a success across the whole range, it should be noted that Fiesta Van, Transit Courier, Transit Connect, Transit Custom, Transit and Ranger are all placed in the top three in their respective market segments.