Ford continues to set the standard for commercial vehicle sales in Ireland, as confidence flows back into the market after another busy month in dealerships around the country.

Figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) show that a total of 4,059 new light commercial vehicles were registered during the month of July – a massive increase of almost 49% over 2014 figures – with the Cork-based manufacturer once again leading the way.

Ford accounted for 858 of the July commercial vehicle (CV) sales volume, an increase of 25% over the corresponding period last year, bringing the company’s year-to-date tally to 4,670 units and a 23% overall share of the commercial market.

Ford also has the distinction of having two individual models in the top 5 best-selling CV chart for the year-to-date, with the Ford Transit Connect in third position (1,208 unit sales) while the Ford Transit Custom, unsurprisingly, again leads the pack with 2,249 unit sales and a 12% share of the overall CV market.  A measure of the Transit Custom’s dominance of the CV market is demonstrated by a comparison with the sales tally of its nearest rival – so far in 2015, Transit Custom has sold more than 64 percent more units than the nearest competitor model.

It is, once again, a spectacular endorsement of Ford’s commercial pedigree, although company Chairman and Managing Director Ciarán McMahon is quick to point out that the appeal of Ford vans is significantly enhanced by a range of attractive marketing and finance offers.

“I think it’s well known that Ford sets the commercial vehicle benchmark in this country, and we’re fortunate to have vehicles of the calibre of Transit – Ireland’s best-selling CV of all time – in our ranks,” said Mr. McMahon. “We have also worked very hard on the finance side, for example by introducing a low 3.9% APR, and that is definitely helping to boost our numbers.

“All our finance packages are an important tool for us and have been central to helping companies both large and small to upgrade and expand their fleets,” Mr. McMahon added. “The Irish economy is powering ahead once again and we are keen to play our part in keeping things moving.”