Ford India has been enduring extremely difficult times in the domestic market as October marks another month of huge YoY sales decline
Ford’s India division registered a total of 7,017 units in the month of October 2019 as against 9,044 units during the same month last year with YoY volume decline of 22.4 per cent. However, compared to the previous month of September, the Blue Oval encountered good sales increase of 26.3 per cent.
On Month-on-Month terms comparatively, Ford recorded only 5,556 units in September 2019 leading to the growth. All manufacturers performed well in comparison as last month turned out to be a positive affair due to the festive season as the combined sales showcase the increase in volumes by 27.6 per cent.
The YoY sales jump of 1.2 per cent is an achievement of its own considering the tough market scenario persisting over the course of the last year. Maintaining this momentum is key and we will have to wait and see whether the auto sector is firmly on the road to recovery or not in the coming months.
Ford has been having the EcoSport as its top-selling model every month as none other models managed to pack high volume numbers. Even the popularity of the sub-four-metre SUV is fading away due to the top-level competition existing in the compact space courtesy of new rivals such as Hyundai Venue and Mahindra XUV300 that have eaten into its sales.
The Freestyle, dubbed a CUV, is the more rugged version of the Figo hatchback. While it endured decent start to its lifespan, it could not maintain a proper momentum all along and the same can be said for the latest Figo and Aspire as well. The Endeavour has been playing second-fiddle to Toyota Fortuner monthly but its segment is never known for high volumes.
The troubled sales numbers for Ford emphasises its recently announced joint venture with Mahindra for future sustainability. The mutually beneficial partnership should revive Ford’s fortunes in India, as new models are in the pipeline including a C-segment SUV.