Can Ford Motor Company (F) Take SUVs to the Global Market?

According to Erich Merkle, Ford’s sales analyst, who spoke to reporters Wednesday, Ford’s EcoSport SUV will be sold in more than 60 countries in four years. That’s a drastic improvement from the 10 countries it’s sold in now. The Edge will be sold in 40 markets, compared with 16 last year. The most important change could very well be the beginning of sales of the Escape in China this year.

Ford is investing heavily in China because by 2020 it’s expected to increase its automotive sales by 12 million vehicles — the size of Europe’s entire market today. Thus far, the Escape previews have drawn largely positive reviews from the Chinese consumers — and Ford can’t wait to see sales results.

Bottom line
This isn’t all about SUVs as much as it’s about hitting each region’s growing future trends. While the Chinese are excited by the smaller SUVs that the Escape represents, the U.S. consumer is equally excited about full-size trucks. Europe tends to focus on smaller, efficient automobiles, and Ford is able to appease every market within its global platform of vehicles. This is a huge step for Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), which derives nearly all of its profits from North America. Expect that to change soon, much to delight of long-term Ford investors.

The article Can Ford Take SUVs to the Global Market? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Daniel Miller.

Fool contributor Daniel Miller owns shares of Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool recommends Ford and General Motors and owns shares of Ford.

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