Figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that the Ford commercial vehicle (CV) range has retained its position as Ireland's favourite van range in the booming 2014 CV market. 

In a total van market comprising 16,652 units, Ford achieved a 25.8 percent share (4,299 units), followed by VW with 17.1 percent or 2,856 units and Renault with 9.6 percent or 1,614 units.

Total van sales in Ireland saw a whopping year-on-year increase of 50 percent or 5,576 units in 2014 - up from 11,076 units in 2013 to 16,652 in 2014.  The CV sales increase significantly outstripped the car sales increase which was in the order of 30 percent or 96,338 units versus the 2013 total of 74,303.

Ciaran McMahon, newly appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland, commented: "Our CV sales teams put in a stellar performance last year, our tally of 4,299 units was more than 50 percent more than our nearest rival... The increase in van sales shows that the Irish economy is definitely on the up and we are delighted that our CVs are at the forefront of that increase in business activity.  Van sales have always been a better indicator of the direction of the economy than just car sales on their own - if an increasing number of business owners and van operators have the confidence to upgrade their vehicles then that is generally a precursor to an overall improvement in the economy".

"The Ford Transit nameplate will celebrate its 50th birthday later this year and in all of that time it has been Ireland's favourite van, consistently outselling competitors year on year.  Fans of the Ford CV range have always cited its reliability, versatility and great value for money as key attributes.

Over the past two years, we have totally revamped the Transit line up with fully redesigned models that integrate the latest technologies and utilise the most fuel-efficient engines that we have ever developed to deliver class leading total cost of ownership within the commercial vehicle sector".

"When coupled with the broadest network of experienced dealers in the country and an innovative range of offers such as 4 year / 150,000km warranty and low finance offers - you can see why our vans continue to be the favoured option among the majority of van owners and operators in Ireland", concluded McMahon.