irishcar.com

4 January 2002: Ford was the leading car brand in Ireland for 2001. With a market share of 11%, or 18,156 units, the blue oval claimed the number one position ahead of Toyota (10.4%, 17,115 units) and VW (10.3%, 16,990 units). Total car registrations for 2001, at 164,744, were down almost 29% on the heady levels of 2000. Sales of small cars fell by 40%.

Ford also had the country’s best-selling car, with the Ford Focus topping the 8,000 sales mark, ahead of the Nissan Almera and Fiat Punto.

“Comparisons with the previous year are inevitable, but 2001 was another excellent year for the industry in Ireland,” said Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director, Henry Ford & Son Limited. “The all-round strength of the Ford portfolio was decisive in the marque capturing the crown of market leader, with Focus and Mondeo exceeding expectations. For the coming year we predict total car sales of 150,000 units, which should prove a sustainable level for the market in the medium term.”

Small cars accounted for less than 28% of the market last year, compared with over 33% in 2000. Conversely, the ‘C/D’ segment, comprising company cars and larger family cars, grew from 18% to 22% of the market. Diesel sales outperformed the market, rising from 10.2% to 13.1%.

“The boom in car sales in recent years has been fuelled by small cars, with thousands of first-time buyers seeking entry-level models,” noted Eddie Murphy. “Any downturn will impact strongly on this. The business sector has held up well and we look forward to another outstanding year for the Ford Mondeo, which has been segment leader for the last 6 months.”

2001 marked the 8th year in succession that Ford was the best-selling car and commercial vehicles distributor in the country, with a total of 25,448 units. ED/BB