Ford No.1 in CV Sales for 17th year in row

Almost 47,000 commercial vehicles (CVs) were sold in Ireland last year, making 2006 the best year yet for CV sales - thats according to figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI). The figures also show that Ford is again the undisputed CV market leader, capturing more than 17 percent of all van sales to lead the way for the 17th record-breaking year in a row.

The commercial vehicle market is a really good indicator of the overall strength of the economy, says Ford Ireland Managing Director, Eddie Murphy. On the basis of last year’s CV sales, we can see that Ireland Inc. is in very good shape at the moment. The outlook for 2007 is also extremely positive, and I expect a full-year sales tally of close to 50,000 CVs, with at least 8,500 to 8,600 units for Ford. That would be very satisfying for us.

Ford’s dominance of the CV market in 2006 was driven as in previous years, by the multi-award-winning Ford Transit. The Transit, which last year benefited from a range of improvements and was voted 2007 International Van of the Year, was the overall best-selling commercial vehicle in Ireland again last year.

The Ford Transit is a ubiquitous presence in Irish industry,” says Eddie Murphy. Its the driving force for countless businesses in this country, from self-employed trades people to large State companies and construction firms that employ thousands of people. If there’s one vehicle that symbolises the strength and purpose of the Irish economy, its the Transit.

Ford also had two other 2006 best-sellers in both the car-derived van sector with the Ford Focus van and the small van sector with the Ford Fiesta van. Ford’s overall tally of 8,008 units sold in 2006 is a 17.4 percent increase over 2005 and represents the third year of consecutive double-digit growth in sales.