Ford recently
announced that it was America's best-selling auto brand for the fourth consecutive
year in 2013, but perhaps the most telling news is that it accomplished that
feat while also gaining the most market share of any automaker. Though Ford's
F-Series was again a big factor as the country's best-selling vehicle for the 32nd
year in a row, annual sales records from recently redesigned vehicles like the Ford
Fusion, Fiesta and Escape also played significant roles in the brand's
impressive growth.
With its U.S.
market share increasing by about a half a point in 2013, Ford more than doubled
the gains of its main competitors while also being the only auto brand to surpass
2 million units sold. Boosted by their 2013-model-year redesigns, the Fusion
midsize sedan and Escape compact SUV each moved more than 295,000 units,
resulting in year-over-year sales increases of 22 percent and 13 percent,
respectively. Meanwhile, the Ford Fiesta subcompact rode the success of an
all-new 2014 model to sell 25 percent more units than last year. Despite the
introduction of next-generation pickup trucks from competitors, the Ford F-Series
saw its sales rise by 18 percent in 2013, totaling 763,402 units.
"Ford's resounding
success last year came from both reliable standbys like the F-150 and
progressive new designs on cars like the Fusion and Fiesta," said John
Melkonian, general manager of Stoneham Ford, a Massachusetts Ford dealer.
"The automaker's emphasis on fuel-efficient vehicles has been instrumental
to its revival in recent years, but its refusal to sacrifice style and driving
fun in the process has been equally important."
