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Dubai: Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales grew by 21 per cent in the Middle East during the first half of 2008, Ford Middle East said in a statement on Saturday.
Led by a strong surge in Ford sports utility vehicle (SUV) sales (up by nearly 50 per cent), the results show an increased consumer preference across the range and Ford believes this trend would get stronger with the launch of the all-new 2009 Ford Flex full-size crossover in the next quarter.
In UAE, Ford reported a 25 per cent increase in sales during the first half of this year. "While the US market is witnessing a downturn in SUV sales, Ford has a success story in the Middle East where we see considerable growth across our utility vehicle range," said Hussain Murad, Ford Middle East's sales and marketing director
With six distinctive models, Ford's family of SUVs are increasingly in tune with what the Gulf consumer wants, the company said.
While the Edge crossover reported a 175 per cent growth in volume in the Middle East, Escape and Explorer models sold 55 per cent and 60 per cent more units this year, respectively.
Additionally, the bold and versatile Explorer Sport Trac has sold four times more this year, as the full-size Expedition and its extended version, the Expedition EL, have delivered nearly 50 per cent and 60 per cent more vehicles to large families respectively, the company said.
"Today, Ford's product quality is continuously growing, and we are pleased with the numerous recognitions our products are receiving from all over the world. This, coupled with the progressive and dynamic designs of our new products as well as the all-new nameplates and technologies we'll be introducing soon will surely give us a considerable boost," he said.
A US Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study conducted on the first quarter of 2008 by the RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan confirmed Ford's successful year so far, citing that the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles have touched the top of the quality charts lately, on par with Toyota and Honda.
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