In the depressed European car market, Ford said its sales rose 6.4% in June in 19 European countries, while total industry sales fell 6.5%, Detroit Free Press reported, citing the company’s top executive for the region.
Stephen Odell, executive vice president for the company’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said “it feels good to once again go against the industry trend where our sales are up and the industry is down.”
The automaker is forecasted to sell 13.5 million new cars this year in Europe.
Ford lost $462 million in Europe in the first quarter. Executives have warned investors the company expects to lose at least $2 billion in the region this year, according to the newspaper.
The company is cutting 5,700 jobs at three facilities in the U.K. and Belgium for annual savings of $450 million to $500 million. The company’s Genk factory in Belgium will close in late 2014.
Source: Detroit Free Press
