THE love affair with Ford performance cars has reached a new high, with sales in Europe almost doubling so far this year.
Close to 31,000 were sold in the region up to the end of August, which is a massive 98 per cent up on 2015.
Ford reckons it will shift more than 200,000 performance cars globally this year, including Mustang, Focus RS, Focus ST and Fiesta ST – nearly double the volume of three years ago.
And almost 14,000 of this year’s new Ford performance car deliveries in Europe have gone to UK buyers, up by 61 per cent from 8,675 in the same eight-month period last year.
Both Focus RS and Ford Mustang 5.0-litre V8 GT featured in “Jeremy’s Star Cars” – a rundown of Clarkson’s top 10 drives of the past year.
More than 5,050 Brits have ordered Focus RS since the latest version went on sale last year, while an additional 4,800 have opted for Mustangs.
Ford Fiesta ST
Global director Dave Pericak said: “Our commitment to performance leadership continues, with Ford on track to deliver 12 new performance vehicles promised by the end of the decade.”
Focus RS, recently introduced for the first time globally, has sold out in every region around the world, and customer orders in Europe have now exceeded 8,800 since launch.
Ford has now sold more than 38,000 Fiesta STs in Europe since the hot hatch was introduced in 2013, and a new five-door version is now available to order in Europe for the first time.
It follows the reveal earlier this year of the new 200PS Fiesta ST200 – available in three-door bodystyle only – with a 0-62mph acceleration time of 6.7 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Mustang has beaten rivals in the UK to become favourite high power sports car of 250PS and over and more 6,500 Ford fans have applied to own the first 500 Ford GT cars, which begin arriving late this year.
Ford Mustang
