END OF YEAR CHINA - Ford and its JV companies enjoyed a 14% growth to top 1.27 million sales in 2016.

• Ford Motor Company sold a record 1.27 million vehicles in 2016 in China, up 14 percent
• Changan Ford JV sold 957,495 vehicles in 2016; December sales total 115,654 vehicles
• Jiangling Motor Corp. sold 265,056 vehicles in 2016; December sales total 32,193 vehicles
• Lincoln sold 32,558 vehicles in 2016, nearly three-fold increase over 2015

Ford Motor Company sales surged 23 percent in China in December, capping a record year for the automaker in the world’s largest new vehicle market.

For all of 2016, Ford Motor Company sales totaled a best-ever 1.27 million vehicles, 14 percent higher than 2015. That total includes sales by joint ventures Changan Ford Automobile and Jiangling Motors Corporation, sales of Ford models imported to China and Lincoln, which has become the fastest growing luxury brand in China.

In December alone, Ford and its joint ventures sold nearly 150,000 vehicles in China, up 21 percent over 2015. The growth was driven by strong demand for Ford’s expanded lineup of SUVs such as the Ford Edge and Explorer, the Ford Taurus large car, and performance vehicles such as the Ford Mustang.

“We have built some great sales momentum in China, particularly in the second half of 2016, on the strength of our expanded vehicle lineup,” said Peter Fleet, vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service, Asia Pacific. “Record numbers of customers are choosing our 3-row Edge crossover, elegant Taurus sedan, Explorer premium SUV and Lincoln luxury vehicles.”

Changan Ford Automobile, Ford's passenger car joint venture, broke both annual and December sales records. CAF sold more than 957,000 vehicles in 2016, up 14 percent compared to 2015. December sales totaled more than 115,000 vehicles, a 19 percent increase compared to December 2015.

Ford’s five-vehicle SUV lineup has been a key driver of sales growth in China. Demand for the Ford Edge and Ford Explorer, for example, rose 123 percent and 36 percent respectively in 2016. The Ford Taurus also had its best sales month ever in December and annual sales surpassed 32,000.

Ford performance vehicles continue to attract Chinese customers, with annual sales of the Ford Mustang up 45 percent and Focus RS and Focus ST sales up 12 percent for the year. The new Ford Focus and Escort have also remained popular, with sales up 8 percent and 53 percent for the small sedans.

Jiangling Motor Corp., Ford’s other joint venture in China, sold 265,056 vehicles in 2016, a 7 percent increase compared to 2015. December sales totaled 32,193 vehicles, up 28 percent compared to December 2015.

Lincoln has also had a strong year in 2016, with sales totaling 32,558 vehicles, a nearly three-fold increase compared to 2015. Lincoln’s strong performance was supported by Chinese customers’ positive reception of Lincoln SUVs and the growing number of dealerships, which reached 65 in 2016. In terms of sales, five of Lincoln’s top 10 dealerships and 11 of the top 20 were based in China in 2016.

Ford Motor Company China Retail Sales Performance

		December 2016		January – December 2016		December 2015		January – December 2015
CAF		115,654		957,495		96,960		836,425
Imported Ford Vehicles		2,009		17,599		1,417		25,340
JMC		32,193		265,056		25,181		246,615
Total Ford Brand China		149,856		1,240,150		123,558		1,108,380
Lincoln				32,558				11,630
Total Ford and Lincoln Brand China				1,272,708				1,120,010

Editor’s note: Ford reports retail figures in China. JMC figures exclude export sales. Lincoln sales in China are reported on a quarterly basis.

END OF YEAR UK - SUZUKI - a large increase in sales means teh brand beats 2015 by a significant margin.

Suzuki is very pleased to announce a record year of sales in the UK with a closing figure for 2016 of 38,190 units, surpassing an already healthy 2015 figure by over 3,700 cars and almost doubling its UK sales volume of just five years ago. Suzuki currently has a 1.42 per cent market share and sits just outside the top 20 manufacturers in the UK.

Sales of the Vitara Compact SUV reached more than 11,500 units for the year, this was largely due to the major success of Suzuki’s ongoing TV campaign with Ant and Dec together with the addition of the S model with 1.4-litre Boosterjet engine. The S model accounts for over 18 per cent of Vitara sales in the UK.

Celerio was 10 per cent ahead of expectation for the year with sales of 8,400 units, this was bolstered by the addition of the SZ2 model at £6,999 and with low Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) rates available from just £79 per month.

Dale Wyatt, Director of Automobile comments: “We are really pleased with our record figures for the year and this proves once again the ever growing popularity of the latest range of cars and the strong relationships our 158 strong dealer network has with our customers. Our ongoing research shows that more than 65 per cent of prospective customers who visit a showroom and take a test drive will buy a new Suzuki.

The future looks bright for 2017 too with the launch this week of the stylish IGNIS Compact Crossover as our latest and most technically advanced model in the range, we are aiming to sell more than 6,000 units as incremental volume, attracting new buyers to the brand.”

Standard equipment for all IGNIS models in the range is comprehensive and the SZ3 model includes six airbags, air conditioning, DAB radio with Bluetooth, 15-inch wheels, body coloured door mirrors, front electric windows and five seat capacity.  IGNIS is available in 11 colours with full personalisation options available for both exterior and interior trim.

IGNIS is available with SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) which lowers CO₂ emissions to 97g/km and also offers ALLGRIP ‘AUTO’ four wheel drive on the SZ5 model. First introduced for the Swift, this is a well proven and simple fully automatic and permanent four-wheel drive layout which transfers additional torque to the rear wheels when required via a viscous coupling.   

As an additional safety feature on the SZ5 model, Dual Camera Brake Support (DCBS) is fitted which utilises stereo cameras located on each side of the drivers interior rear view mirror. These function in a similar way to the human eye and detect lane markings as well as objects ahead (including pedestrians) and also their distance away. This new feature has enabled the IGNIS SZ5 to be awarded Five Stars in the latest NCAP tests

Nissan continues to grow it's EV portfolio with yet another year of record sales in Europe.

• Record year for Nissan Europe electric vehicle (EV) fleet sales, up 45 percent in FY15
• High-volume fleet deals across Europe demonstrate Nissan’s position as one of the most popular EV providers for businesses
• More than 20,000 Nissan EVs sold to fleet customers across Europe since launch
• Nissan LEAF continues to lead the EV segment globally, with almost 220,000 units sold

Nissan’s electric vehicle (EV) offering remains the popular choice for fleet operators across Europe, with sales of the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 in the fleet market climbing for a fourth consecutive year in fiscal year 2015.

Up 45 percent on the previous fiscal year, Nissan sold more than 7,500 LEAFs and e-NV200s to fleet operators and municipalities in Europe, commanding a 28 percent share of the pure electric fleet market. With over 20,000 Nissan EVs sold to fleet customers across Europe since launch, it’s clear that business owners are switching on to the benefits of zero emission mobility.

Offering optimum practicality and driving comfort combined with low running costs, the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 are truly viable options for fleet operators across the region. Costing approximately €0.03 per kilometre to run, owners also benefit from low maintenance costs that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership. With fewer moving parts, Nissan EVs provide estimated maintenance costs up to 40 percent lower than petrol or diesel alternatives. Furthermore, many European fleet owners can also benefit from varied incentives offered by governments across the continent, all whilst saving on energy consumption; providing a cost-effective, simple solution to reduce their carbon footprint.

Gareth Dunsmore, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe: “It’s great to see Nissan EV fleet demand going from strength-to-strength as businesses catch on to the many marked advantages electric vehicles have to offer. Nissan not only offers a great pure electric range for businesses, but we have also employed EV fleet specialists in most European countries, trained to provide advice and support to customers, offering analysis of total ownership costs and charging infrastructure. This strategy has proved incredibly effective at assisting businesses who are interested in zero emission technology, but need some guidance on making the switch to zero emission motoring.

“Now with the introduction of the new-to-sector Nissan LEAF 30 kWh, fleet customers will be able to travel even further, helping to meet businesses demands with an extended 250 km range.”

Postal services are among the many service providers that have been particularly quick to take advantage of the clear benefits associated with switching to electric. Österreichische Post AG, the Austrian state postal authority, already utilises 160 e-NV200s and has recently confirmed an order for 100 additional units.

Many public bodies and government organisations across Europe have also decided to lead by example and convert their fleets to zero emission vehicles. In the UK, Nissan has sold over 350 EVs to public entities and the City of Bari in Italy has just launched a car sharing service in cooperation with ACI Global using 30 Nissan LEAFs.

In the UK, Nissan’s total EV fleet sales for FY15 were up 43% compared with FY14, with 2,573 combined LEAF and e-NV200 sales versus 1,806 for the previous financial year. Electric vehicles now make up around 3% of all fleet sales with an increasing number of major contracts including West Midlands Police renewing its fleet of 30 Nissan LEAFs and upgrading to the new 30kWh model.

Karl Anders, National EV Manager at Nissan Motor (GB), said: “More and more local authorities and public sector organisations across the UK are turning to Nissan’s market-leading electric vehicles to meet their fleet needs.

“Both the LEAF and e-NV200 can have a significant impact on reducing running and whole-life costs as well as well as helping organisations significantly cut their carbon emissions.”

Nissan celebrates this all-important milestone some five years after the launch of the Nissan LEAF, the world's first mass-market, zero emission vehicle and just one year since the launch of its 100 percent electric e-NV200 light commercial vehicle. The Nissan LEAF remains the best-selling electric vehicle of all time, with almost 220,000 units sold worldwide. In FY15, 16,916 Nissan LEAFs were sold in Europe, securing a new annual record.

WORLDWIDE SALES 2015 - Porsche sets yet another record year with in excess of 225,000 units sold.

• A new record year For the Stuttgart Sports car maker.

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG can look back on an extremely successful fiscal year in 2015. With 225,121 vehicles delivered to customers worldwide, the company achieved a new record in 2015, exceeding the previous record of 189,849 cars in 2014 by 19 percent.

"The figures reflect the pulling power of our brand as well as the appeal of our products which we have launched on the market in the past few years," says Dr. Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. "Focusing completely on the development, production, and sales of highly emotional sports cars is paying off." 

However, sales are only a secondary yardstick for success for Porsche. "What is much more important for us are customer enthusiasm, return on sales, and secure jobs," says Blume.

The 911 legend continues unabated. 

The sports car icon recorded an increase over the previous year of four percent with just under 32,000 units delivered. "This growth, even in a year in which the model was changed, shows the immensity of fascination for the 911 on the markets," said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. 

The new 911 series will be available in the United States in March of 2016 with the flagship 911 Turbo models available in April.

Clearly, the growth drivers are the SUV models and the best-seller is the latest addition to the family. With more than 80,000 cars delivered globally, the Macan became the most coveted Porsche already in its first year of full availability. It is closely followed by the Cayenne (73,119 units). Compared with the previous year, the Macan and the Cayenne achieved two-digit growth figures.

Cayman sales rose slightly by one percent. The Panamera and Boxster models lagged behind the previous year levels. The reason for this is the upcoming model change from which Porsche is expecting renewed growth in 2016. In the future, the Boxster and Cayman models will be branded as the 718 model series and will continue to advance both technically and optically.

For the first time, the strongest single market in 2015 was China where Porsche delivered 58,009 vehicles. Compared with 2014, this was an increase of 24 percent. In the United States 51,756 vehicles were delivered, a growth of 10 percent. The European market grew by 24 percent to 75,354 units where Germany was the strongest single market with a total of 28,953 vehicles delivered (up 21 percent).