Ford Middle East witnessed a sterling performance in 2013 with total sales rising 12 per cent year-on-year and breaking the 85,000 unit milestone.

In Bahrain, sales grew by 23 per cent in 2013, with Almoayyed Motors, the local importer-dealer for Ford and Lincoln, recording a strong fleet sales growth of about 80 per cent.

These results kick in thanks to the dealership’s continued efforts to expand the presence of Ford and Lincoln products in the local market, and investing in developing the after-sales services and capacity to support local customers.

Attractive offers in retail finance and a warranty increase also helped significantly boost Ford’s customer base in Bahrain, a statement said.

“This is an exciting time for Ford here in the Middle East. We have crossed a remarkable milestone in 2013 and we expect a stronger performance this year,” said Thierry Sabbagh, Ford Middle East’s director of Sales. “Our customer base continues to grow in the Middle East, especially in Bahrain, thanks largely to the continued commitment of our importer-dealer, Almoayyed Motors, to growing the Ford business in the local market.

“We are in full swing for a strong start to 2014, gearing up to launch seven new products this year while working to increase service capacity to support our growing customer base as we intensify efforts with our dealers to deliver higher levels of customer satisfaction and lower cost of ownership,” he added.

The Middle East’s positive results come in just weeks after Ford Motor Company announced total US sales of 2,493,918 units, cementing Ford as America’s best-selling vehicle brand for the fourth consecutive year.

The end of year results also saw annual sales records set for Ford Fiesta, Fusion and Escape, and the F-Series – which sealed their undisputed leadership as America’s Best Selling Trucks for the 37th straight year.

Ford also reported last week 2013 full year pre-tax profit of $8.6 billion, one of the company’s best years ever, driven by the highest automotive pre-tax profit in more than a decade and continued solid profit from Ford Credit. Full year net income for 2013 was $7.2 billion.

Additionally, Ford recently announced the creation of its fifth global business unit – Ford Middle East and Africa. Operating out of Dubai, the new unit is divided into two sub-regions – South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Mena –covering 47 markets across the region.

“Ford’s positive performance in the Middle East marks a strong start for the new FMEA business unit overall,” said Kalyana Sivagnanam, director, Ford Mena. “The Middle East and Africa is a region with tremendous potential for growth for the automotive industry with sales likely to increase by about 40 per cent to around 5.5 million units by 2020.” – TradeArabia News Service