Ford’s sales upswing

The

mighty Mustang has tipped Ford over the top for its most significant sales success of the 21st century.

A boatload of 690 shiny new ’Stangs from the United States provided the essential impetus for the company’s first showroom victory over Holden since 1999.

The blue oval trumped the red lion in April in a landmark success that also has significant implications for Holden during the run-down to its factory closure in 2017.

Holden still relies on its locally-made Commodore and Cruze for 46 per cent of its showroom sales, while Ford has weaned itself from the homegrown Falcon and Territory, which account for less than 20 per cent of the company’s deliveries. Its best seller is now the Ranger ute.

In another significant contrast, Ford’s sales have grown for the six straight month, based on official figures from Vfacts, after 11 straight years of sharp declines.

In sharp contrast, Holden’s running total is down by 8 per cent through the first four months of the year despite the Commodore holding sixth on the individual charts.

Holden’s 29,229 sales for the first four months of 2016 have relegated the once dominant brand – it famously held 50 per cent of the car market in its heyday – to fourth, behind clear market leader Toyota (63,060), second-placed Mazda (38,910) and Hyundai in third (33,045). Ford sits fifth on the year-to-date chart, with 25,483 sales.