Ford Middle East has this year recorded its highest year-on-year sales growth in a quarter since 2016, with the first quarter of 2024 seeing the American brand expand its sales by 29% over the same period last year.
Announcing the Q1 results, Ford Middle East said it has “carried forward its robust 2023 sales momentum into the first quarter of 2024”. The models leading the Q1 2024 sales growth – the highest since Q2 of 2016 – were the Ford Territory, Everest and Taurus, driving the brand to “impressive sales and market growth” in the GCC.
The Ford Territory, launched less than 18 months ago, played a pivotal role in the brand’s success, becoming Ford’s best-selling SUV across Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Ford added that the Everest also enjoyed growing launch momentum through Q1, with March seeing record sales, solidifying its position as Ford’s third volume pillar in the Middle East.
Ford added that in the sedan category, the Taurus retained and built on its popularity in the GCC, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where Ford’s Brand Health Report saw improvements in perceptions of the brand’s competitiveness in terms of quality, authenticity and trustworthiness.
Ford Middle East values collaboration with distributors
Ravi Ravichandran, President of Ford Middle East, said: “While our sales and market share grew over the first quarter of 2024, we continued our close collaboration with our valued distributor partners. Our remarkable Q1 performance is a testament to the effectiveness of our Distributor Center of Excellence model – which has been instrumental in driving our business turnaround. By collaborating strategically with our distributor partners, we’ve been able to prioritise customer satisfaction, streamline operations and uphold a culture of excellence across the region.”
With markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait demonstrating strength and consistency, Ford Middle East said its market share increased by 0.5% year-on-year across the region. The company added that has ambitious plans for the rest of the year.
“We aim to leverage growth opportunities offered by new nameplates, such as the all-new Ford Everest and Lincoln Nautilus,” said Ravichandran. “We’re focused on maintaining the positive momentum we’ve witnessed with the Territory, in addition to getting ready to bring a new Ford F-150 to the region.”
Middle East to get first Ford EV in 2025
The company is also laying the groundwork for the 2025 launch of its first EV in the Middle East, part of Ford’s long-term goals outlined in its 2024 Integrated Sustainability and Financial Report.
“Ford Middle East will continue developing a robust sales and production plan for 2025, while also prioritising customer satisfaction as a key pillar of our strategy – we recognise that customers are our biggest advocates, and will always strive to treat them like family,” added Ravichandran.
“We’re also seeing a sustained appetite for Ford Performance-driven power among consumers here, and I’m proud that ours is the only region home to all three Raptor nameplates – F-150, Bronco and Ranger.”
This year, Ford celebrated the 60th anniversary of another icon, the Mustang. “The legendary muscle car has a strong following here in the Middle East, and we just recently launched the all-new Mustang Dark Horse,” said Ravichandran.