Sales of Ford Hot Hatches Climb 21 Percent Through First Three Quarters
Retail sales of Ford performance hatchbacks—including the Focus ST, Fiesta ST, and all-new Focus RS—are up 21.3% year-over-year through the first three quarters of 2016, a sharp contrast to sales of similar vehicles across the industry. With crossovers, SUVs, and trucks the most popular among customers, cumulative industry sales of non-luxury, turbocharged small hatchbacks have declined 21% over the same period.
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A great deal of Ford’s success can be attributed to the addition of the new Focus RS to its performance lineup. Through nine months, sales of turbocharged Ford Focus hatchback models are up 37%. Sales of the Ford Fiesta ST and Focus ST are also strong, with retail registrations for the former up 7% through September and retail sales of the latter up by more than 5% over the first nine months of 2016.
Through the first nine months of the year, Ford’s retail sales for the Focus ST, Fiesta ST, and Focus RS total 8,249 units, 3,215 units, and 1,674 units, respectively. Impressively, the success of these models has come not only against the uptick in sales of CUVs and decline in the small car market, but against a perception that Ford is not primarily known for performance vehicles.
“For decades, we heard criticism from customers that Ford sold its best small cars only in Europe, yet in five short years we’ve built a reputation here for making very serious but affordable performance cars with our Focus ST and Fiesta ST one-two punch,” says Jessica Bishop, Ford Focus brand manager. “Buyers now know Ford is committed to affordable performance.”
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