Ford India delivers 15pc full year growth

Ford India capped a successful year in which the Figo became the country's most awarded car ever to deliver 15 percent full-year sales growth, topping the single-digit industry growth. From January to December 2011, the company sold 96,270 domestic wholesale units, providing further evidence that Ford's fuel-efficient and best-in-class vehicles continue to attract large numbers of new-to-Ford customers despite difficult industry and economic conditions. Ford India also posted its best-ever December sales, with 5,979 vehicles sold, a sharp jump from 4,301 in the same month of 2010. “It's incredibly gratifying to see that our domestic sales have grown at such a steady pace, particularly given the challenging market environment. Overall, 2011 was a strong and positive year where we crossed many milestones," said Ford India President and Managing Director Michael Boneham. He said that India also became an increasingly important exporter of Ford vehicles last year, with shipments reaching 22,521 vehicles, almost three times the number exported in 2010. From January to December, Ford's combined sales including domestic wholesale and exports are up 29 percent compared to the same period in 2010. During 2011, Ford India expanded its export footprint for the popular Figo to 32 countries, with Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast added in December. With Chennai fast emerging as a hub for manufacturing small cars and low displacement powertrains for Ford, the Chennai-built cars and engines have reached several new foreign shores in 2011.