Volkswagen Q1 sales may overtake Toyota as world leader
Ford Fiesta outsells VW Golf in Europe
It appears that Ford’s new Fiesta small car, Fiesta, outsold the Volkswagen Golf to become Europe’s most popular model in March. If VW can outsell Toyota’s several brands with their several brands but Ford’s individual models can out sell their individual models, it raises a question. Who is actually building a better vehicle that the people most want to buy?
Just because you are a bigger company with more irons in the fire does not mean you building the most successful cars.
Great job Ford and we look forward to seeing the new Fiesta in the US soon. Now if we can just figure out how to get the Federal Government to allow the diesel version state side as well.
Ford Fiesta outsells VW Golf in Europe
Ford’s new Fiesta small car outsold the Volkswagen Golf to become Europe’s most popular model in March.
Helped by scrappage incentives, the Fiesta had its best March sales in Germany since 1998. In Italy, the redesigned hatchback, which launched last autumn, rose to No. 2 from No. 3 in the list of best-selling cars.
Ford sold 52,805 Fiestas in Europe last month, up 15.5 percent from March 2008, while Golf sales dropped marginally by 0.1 percent or 46 units to 46,415, according to JATO Dynamics, a U.K.-based data company.
For the first quarter, the Golf still maintains a modest lead on Fiesta, 119,651 to 113,576 units.
Ford said March was the highest retail sales month for the new Fiesta. The hatchback was Ford’s best seller in the company’s 19 main European markets.
Ingvar Sviggum, Ford of Europe’s sales chief, said scrappage incentives in Italy and Germany are significantly boosting sales of the Fiesta and the Ka minicar.
In Italy, the scrappage incentive has “had a fantastic impact” Sviggum said.
He added: “The German scheme has proved to work very effectively. It is very simple and we would like other countries to copy it.”
Several European governments offer consumers bonuses of up to 5,000 euros to scrap an old car to buy a new model. Buyers who take advantage of the incentive usually opt for small cars or minicars.
Sviggum said incentive schemes are helping Ford’s factory in Cologne, Germany, where the Fiesta is made, to operate at full speed.
Ford has cancelled short-time working at Cologne and will instead add extra shifts starting on April 20 to boost Fiesta production to 1,850 units a day from 1,750.
Polo, Punto sales grow
Other small cars also benefited from scrappage bonuses in March, including the Volkswagen Polo and Fiat Punto.
Polo sales increased by 30.3 percent to 38,316 last month, making the small hatchback Europe’s fifth-most popular car after the Fiesta, Golf, Peugeot 207 and Opel/Vauxhall Corsa.
Punto sales grew 12.2 percent to 37,337, putting it in No. 6 position.
JATO said Italian government incentives for alternative fuels such as liquid petroleum gas and compressed natural gas had helped Fiat Panda and Punto sales.
Sales of the Fiat Panda grew 62.2 percent to 33.593. About 25 percent of Panda sales in Italy were CNG or LPG variants, JATO said.
Sales of Puntos powered by CNG or LPG were more than the total growth for the car.
Corsa sales fell 10.7 percent to 40,346. Sales of the 207 were down 15.4 percent to 39,499.
David Di Girolamo, head of JATO Consult, said: “We are really seeing the commercial benefits brought about by the new incentives. IIt will be important to understand if this is a short-term reaction by consumers or if it will have a prolonged effect on the market.”
Paul McVeigh contributed
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