Ford plans lots of cars for Middle East and Africa
Ford’s ‘One Ford’ philosophy was thought to mean that all the cars that they plan on selling around the world had to be the same, in order to cut costs and streamline production and shipping.
On the other hand it would appear that that motto can also steand for trying to open new grounds and sell ‘one Ford’ to buyers in the Middle East and Africa too, because the American-based company has just announced the introduction of a whopping seventeen new models in the two regions, in the following 24 months.
They’re working with the idea of seeing all the vehicles as one single ‘business unit’ which will apply for all of the 47 markets that the idea will encompass. The models that are planned for launch are not all new – obviously – but they will be new to the area and include names like the Fusion sedan and the EcoSport mini-SUV, as well as vehicles from the Lincoln range.
Ford’s Euro-zone president – Stephen Odell – said that the Middle East and Africa is expected to become one of the next big automotive growth markets so Ford wants to position itself there to offer customers great new cars and trucks. He added that Ford and Lincoln sales have increased by sixty percent in the Middle East over the past four years, and it is expected that total industry sales in the combined Middle East and Africa region will increase by about forty percent to around 5.5 million units by as soon as 2020.
Ford’s tactic for future expansion in the region will rely on bringing new models in, supporting the dealer network and then expanding accessibility to parts by setting up more complete local chains. This approach does seem to be paying dividends seeing as how Ford and Lincoln sales have increased by 60 percent during the past four years of activity in the region.
