(March 26, 2010) Ford  is increasingly attracting customers who are trading in vehicles from competing brands, one of the keys to Ford’s recent market share gains in U.S.

For the Ford brand, the rate of customers who traded in competitive brand vehicles rose 18 percent from 2005 to 2009. The conquest rate for Lincoln rose 61 percent, while Mercury saw a 12 percent increase from 2005 to 2009.

“We’re finding that when customers of competing brands check out our new lineup and understand the quality, fuel efficiency and value we offer, they are increasingly becoming Ford owners,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service. “The strength of our new products is making the difference in a very competitive marketplace.”

Among Ford vehicles, the Fusion Hybrid, Escape Hybrid and Mustang attract the most customers who trade in competing brands. For example, more than 60 percent of trade-ins for the Fusion Hybrid were non-Ford vehicles. More than 50 percent of trade-ins for the Ford Mustang were competitive brands.

The redesigned Ford Taurus showed the biggest increase in attracting new customers to the Ford brand between 2005 and 2009.

For the Lincoln and Mercury brands, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid and Lincoln MKX attracted the most customers from competing brands.