Ford and Toyota in top-selling spat

DETROIT — A name makes all the difference in the fight between Ford and Toyota over who has the topselling car in the world.

Ford on Wednesday claimed that crown for its Focus compact during the first half of the year, based on registration data gathered by the R.L. Polk & Co. research firm.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based company sold 589,709 Focuses from January through June across the globe, a 20 per cent increase over the first half of last year, said Erich Merkle, Ford’s top sales analyst.

The Focus, according to Ford, beat the perennial No. 2 Toyota Corolla, although Merkle said he could not release Polk’s numbers for the Corolla. Messages were left with two Polk analysts seeking the numbers.

If the Focus beats Corolla for all of 2013, it would be the second year in a row that Ford lays claim to the top honours.

But Toyota disputes Ford’s leadership. The Japanese automaker has said it sold a Corolla hatchback under the Matrix name, and it sells cars that are nearly identical to the Corolla under different names in countries outside the U.S. Ford doesn’t tally Toyota’s other nameplates in its count. Toyota has contended that if all the other nameplates are added in, the Corolla is the winner. A Toyota spokeswoman said Wednesday that the company disagrees with Ford and is drawing up a response to Ford’s claims.