Ford Motor Company (F): We’re Gaining in Europe

An emphasis on the most profitable sales
That’s why Ford is making a big deal out of the details in this month’s sales figures. The overall numbers look pretty dismal at first glance. But as noted above, Ford is gaining market share among retail passenger-vehicle customers.

Ford also noted that it’s gaining retail market share at a high rate in the five biggest European markets: the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. It stands at 8.4% for the year through May, up 0.8 percentage points from the same period last year. New products are helping: The all-new Kuga (a twin to the U.S. market Escape SUV) and the new B-MAX (pictured above) are both selling well, Ford said.

But is it really paying off?
Ford has more new products on the way in Europe. The next few months will see the launches of the new Transit Connect van and the EcoSport, a small SUV that is doing very well for Ford in emerging markets.

But is this new emphasis really working to cut Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s losses? Or is it just giving Ford’s PR folks a good story to tell despite tough times? It looks promising from here, but we’ll know a lot more when Ford releases its second-quarter earnings late next month. Stay tuned.

The article Ford: We’re Gaining in Europe originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by John Rosevear.

Fool contributor John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. Follow him on Twitter at @jrosevear. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. It recommends and owns shares of Ford.

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