Ford: Climbing new heights in 2011

Ford Group Philippines (FGP) was firing on all cylinders in 2011. Sales of vehicles under the Ford brand grew by a formidable 51 percent. Behind the growth were vehicles such as the Fiesta, Everest, Explorer, and Ranger. The Fiesta, for its first full year of sales, sold 3110 units.

FORD brought a large contingent of motoring writers to the Ranger launch in Thailand

The fuel-efficient yet fun-to-drive subcompact was apparently on many a buyer’s shortlist for the year. The Car Awards Group concurred, awarding the Fiesta Best Sub-Compact 2010-2011. Ford ranked second in 2011 JD Power Asia Pacific’s Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) survey for the Philippines.

Also impressive are the 2,769 unit sales of Everest (37 percent increase from 2010), 1019 units of Ranger (+9 percent), and 974 units of Escape. The Explorer, debuting in an all-new version in 2011, notched up a notable 160 percent increase in sales. The Explorer 3.5 V6 Limited is already getting accolades for its driving performance, comfort, style, and best of all, value for money. The Explorer has premium content that can match those of European SUVs twice its price.

Ford chalked up 8,805 unit sales from January to November 2011, boosting market share to 5.8 percent, versus its full-year 2010 market share of 3.9 percent. Ford conducted several major activities for 2011. FGP was the largest exhibitor at the Manila International Auto Show, with its massive 1,000 square-meter display area. The Fiesta and Focus participated in fuel economy runs, including an endurance-style session for the Focus Diesel. The company continued on its advocacy for road safety, with the annual Driving Skills for Life seminars incorporating a practical segment to boost customers’ driving safety skills.

Ford celebrated the first anniversary of the Fiesta launch in October, with a gathering of Fiesta owners at Bonifacio Global City. It also held its annual sales and service skills Olympics in November. Ford capped the year with the 7th annual Henry Ford Awards. PDI writer Tessa Salazar won for Best Automotive Online Feature.

Randy Krieger, FGP president, said, “2011 has been a fantastic year for Ford. We celebrated the first-year anniversary of the Ford Fiesta which continues to be the best-selling hatchback in the country, launched the All-New Explorer and have won coveted honors at this year’s most respected Awards Programs.”

“Starting with the All-New Ranger, Ford will introduce eight all-new One Ford global vehicles in ASEAN over the next five years — significantly expanding our Ford showroom line-up and introducing our brand to many new customer segments.”

Ford is set to continue on an upward trajectory in 2012, on the heels of three major product launches: the all-new Ranger pickup; the Ford Explorer powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, dubbed the EcoBoost; and perhaps most significantly, the all-new Focus. If the Focus can capitalize on driving pleasure, style, and fuel efficiency as the Fiesta has, the Blue Oval may very well take the compact sedan/hatchback class by storm in 2012.