If you're a Jaguar dealer, it's best to also have a Land Rover franchise
as the 4x4 brand is experiencing record retail sales for the second month in a row. The leaping cat is languishing, mind you, with only its all-new XK seeing a positive April with a 122 percent increase of the same month last year. Its X-Type compact, S-Type midsize and XJ full-size models are off by 60.8, 27.9 and 41.6 percent respectively, equaling a total of 31.6 percent below its April 2005 sales. Ouch!
And Land Rover? Led by the immensely popular new Range Rover Sport, that experiencing sales of 1,548 units in April, from zero last year, the company is even able to weather a 34.8 percent drop in LR3 sales, a result that is no doubt affected by the popularity of the new Sport, and an almost total lack of interest in the compact Freelander; it suffered a 98 percent drop in sales showing just five new customers in the entire U.S. Good news is that an all-new Freelander is on the way, and that the brand's priciest and most profitable model, the Range Rover, is enjoying an upturn of 2.3 percent over April of 2005.
One
of Ford's most successful brands, Volvo, is also losing out on the sales charts lately, at least among its volume sellers. While the entry-level S40 sedan is more or less holding its own with a slight drop of 0.5 percent, resulting in 2,100 new cars sold in April, deliveries of the V50 wagon have dropped by 41.4 percent to 310 units. Volvo will have a new V50-based crossover which should help bolster the brand's compact sales, although with so few wagons being sold its days in the U.S. may be numbered. V50 sales in Canada are higher, per capita, which bodes well for the car's long-term survival here.
The sleek S60 is also experiencing less interest than during April of last year, with sales down 14.7 percent, while interest in the XC70 wagon has ebbed some 33.1 percent. Among crossovers only the XC70 wagon is up, but by only 0.2 percent, while the more profitable XC90 lost some 9.2 percent; although it's still the brand's best selling model at 9,736 units. Although sales of the flagship S80 sedan are up by 10 percent, the big winner is the C70 with a 55.9 percent increase in deliveries.
So, while there are positive and negative sales trends to report
amongst all of Ford Motor's brands, the overall outlook is improving among its cars, at least. By offering leading-edge technologies that are biased towards reducing fuel consumption and toxic emissions, Ford is finally getting some well-deserved payoff for what has been a major overall investment thus far. The introduction of its more powerful yet more economical and cleaner Duratec 35, and in-house built six-speed automatic will do wonders to improve its reputation as a builder of import-fighting cars and crossovers, bolstered further when the automaker introduces its upcoming midsize hybrid models - the first to show up in Fusion guise - and may even appease those who have chosen to single Dearborn out as environmental enemy number one.
Of course, such a change of heart would take less politicking and more research on the part of the environmentalist groups, and with so much time and money invested in bringing Ford down, plus bandwagon momentum moving in their favour, organizations such as Jumpstart Ford will most likely continue their misleading campaign of stating half-truths in order to stir up the ranks.
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| The trendy Land Rover Range Rover Sport is really pulling the weight for Ford's British companies. (Photo: Land Rover Canada) |
And Land Rover? Led by the immensely popular new Range Rover Sport, that experiencing sales of 1,548 units in April, from zero last year, the company is even able to weather a 34.8 percent drop in LR3 sales, a result that is no doubt affected by the popularity of the new Sport, and an almost total lack of interest in the compact Freelander; it suffered a 98 percent drop in sales showing just five new customers in the entire U.S. Good news is that an all-new Freelander is on the way, and that the brand's priciest and most profitable model, the Range Rover, is enjoying an upturn of 2.3 percent over April of 2005.
One
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| S40 is a strong seller; its V50 wagon variant isn't faring as well. (Photo: Volvo Canada) |
The sleek S60 is also experiencing less interest than during April of last year, with sales down 14.7 percent, while interest in the XC70 wagon has ebbed some 33.1 percent. Among crossovers only the XC70 wagon is up, but by only 0.2 percent, while the more profitable XC90 lost some 9.2 percent; although it's still the brand's best selling model at 9,736 units. Although sales of the flagship S80 sedan are up by 10 percent, the big winner is the C70 with a 55.9 percent increase in deliveries.
So, while there are positive and negative sales trends to report
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| Fuel consumption is a growing concern to both consumers and automakers. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
Of course, such a change of heart would take less politicking and more research on the part of the environmentalist groups, and with so much time and money invested in bringing Ford down, plus bandwagon momentum moving in their favour, organizations such as Jumpstart Ford will most likely continue their misleading campaign of stating half-truths in order to stir up the ranks.