Ford sales down 21% in January-September

MANILA, Philippines - The local unit of Ford Motor Co. saw its sales drop by 21 percent in the January to September period from the same period a year ago as it prepares for the closure of its assembly operations in the Philippines.

Anika Salceda, assistant vice president for corporate communications of Ford Group Philippines said in a text message that as of end-September, the company’s sales reached 5,627 units, lower than the 7,129 units sold in the same period last year.

She attributed the lower sales to the impact of the heavy flooding in Thailand last year.

“Through the first-half of the year, we reported a decline in sales due to the continued effect of last year’s Thai floods,” she said.

She also said the company was gearing up for the launch of new Ford vehicles.

“September is our first full month of availability of all our four recently launched vehicles,” she said.

Ford’s recently launched vehicles are the all-new Ranger, the all-new Explorer with EcoBoost, the all-new Focus and the iconic Mustang sports car.

For the month of September alone, Ford Philippines sold 964 units, the highest monthly sales for the year.

Compared to the 574 units sold in August though, Ford Philippines’ sales were up by 68 percent in September.

The higher month-on-month sales were seen to be given an extra boost by the four new vehicles.

“Our showrooms across the country are now packed with the widest lineup of vehicles that Ford has ever offered in the Philippines, which is really helping broaden the appeal of our brand to so many new-to-Ford customers,” Ford Group Philippines president Randy Krieger said in a statement.

“The introduction of the class-defining all-new Ranger, the technology-packed all-new Focus, the Mustang and all-new Explorer with EcoBoost have reinforced our commitment to offer vehicles that are segment-leaders in design, smart technology, fuel efficiency and safety,” he said further.

Ford Philippines will be shutting down its assembly operations in Laguna in December.

While it is set to halt its assembly operations, the firm remains committed to the Philippines as it is on track to add new locations to its authorized dealer network by year-end to support its growth plan.