Ford November Sales Down 5% in Europe; Cars Weaker, SUVs Stronger

Judging by Wednesday morning’s report from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) on November sales in Europe, the continent’s buyers don’t want passenger cars any more than their American counterparts. Passenger car sales dropped 9.3% year over year, and total vehicle sales were down 5.4% compared with November 2017.

Sport utility vehicle sales jumped 18% year over year, driven by a gain of 39% in Ecosport sales (to 9,600 units). Ecosport’s year-to-date sales are up 105% for the first 11 months of the year and up 83% compared with November 2017 sales.

For the year to date, Ford has sold 259,200 SUVs in Europe, a new annual record, with the month of December still to be completed.

Ford noted that sales in 20 European Union countries totaled 102,500 units in November, representing a market share of 7.6%, up by 0.1 point year over year, and the best November since 2015. For the year to date, Ford’s market share in the 20 countries is down 0.1 points to 7.6%.

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The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) will release its data on European Union auto registrations (aka, sales) on Friday. In October, Ford’s market share in 27 EU countries was 7.1%, up from 6.6% in October 2017 but down 0.7 points month over month. Ford includes commercial vehicles in its own reports, something that the ACEA tracks separately.

Ford’s top country market in November was Germany, with sales of 27,900 units and a 9% market share. For the year to date, Britain is Ford’s top market, with sales volume of 355,900 and market share of 13.7%, down 0.1 points year over year, but still the best for the year to date. Ireland, with 13%, is Ford’s November market share leader.

Commercial vehicle sales hit a 25-year high and Ford remains the top commercial vehicle brand in Europe, with market share of 13.8% and volume sales of 31,700 units, a year-over-year gain of 4.9%.

For more details on which countries are included and how sales were divided among various models, see’s Ford’s sales report for November.

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