Roelant de Waard, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: "We have spent the last five years establishing flexible manufacturing in Europe and now we can match supply to demand.
"Getting that balance between supply and demand is good for manufacturers, dealers and customers. It means no distress marketing which means better residual values."
De Waard expects Ford to grow its market share in 2008 with absolute volume rising towards 450,000, including LCVs, and the overall market falling slightly. In 2007, Ford sold 442,017 cars and LCVs, according to SMMT figures.
In 2009, Ford’s entire line-up will be new with the introduction of the Ka replacement.
De Waard said: "Ka is an interesting one for us – it almost has a life of its own with a very loyal customer base." Ka sales in 2006 and 2007 were around 27,000, accounting for around 20% of its segment.
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Kuga compact SUV, which goes on sale in June, is built at Saarlouis in Germany where capacity has been increased from 290,000 to 330,000 on three shifts. Annual Kuga production is set at 65,000. UK availability is expected to be between 6,000 and 7,000 in a full year.
Login to comment
Comments
No comments have been made yet.