Ford sales up 20% in 2018
Sales of U.S. carmaker Ford in Hungary were up 20% in 2018 compared to 2017 and the company expects sales growth to continue this year, Viktor Szamosi, executive director for Fordʼs Hungarian unit, said at a press conference on Friday.
Ford sold 20,047 vehicles in Hungary last year, securing the company a market share of 12%, according to a report by state news agency MTI. Within this, the manufacturer sold 6,102 light commercial vehicles, around 30.9% more than a year before, reaching a market share of 26.8%.
With 13,653 cars sold, Ford was the second most popular brand in the country in 2018, and sales could rise by 2,000-3,000 units this year, Szamosi said.
Ford is upgrading its car dealership network in part because of the spread of hybrid and electronic vehicles, Szamosi said. Currently there are 38 dealerships in the country, and adding 3-4 stores would make the network optimal in addition to the 50 service points in operation, he added.
Szamosi noted that Ford is establishing a secondary service network for older models that currently has four shops and is set to grow to 10-15 shops in the future. Ford also operates a regional service center in Budapest, which is set to have 1,000 employees by 2020.
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