Ford India Tuesday said its sales in December rose 39% at 5,979 units, the news reports said. The carmaker sold 4,301 units in the corresponding month of 2010, Ford said.  The automobile company sold 96,270 units in the domestic market in the whole of 2011, a 15% rise compared to last year, it said without divulging  its 2010 sales.  

Ford India President and Managing Director Michael Boneham said, “Its incredibly gratifying to see that our domestic sales have grown at such a steady pace, particularly given the challenging market environment. Overall, 2011 was a strong and positive year where we crossed many milestones.”  

“India has also become increasingly important exporter of Ford vehicles last year, with shipments reaching 22,521 vehicles, almost three times the number exported in 2010,” he added. 

He also opined that during 2011, the automobile company has expanded its footprint for the popular Figo to 32 countries,  with Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast added in December.

“With work commencing on our second plant in Sanand,  expansion of the powertrain facility in Chennai, the launch of the All-New global Fiesta and Figo’s growing popularity in 2011 gave us many proud moments to cherish,” Mr. Michael added.

 The company will use the upcoming Auto Expo to preview the second of eight new vehicles that Ford plans to bring to India by mid-decade. 

Ford India is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company in India and the headquarters are located in Chengalpattu, Chennai and TamilNadu. It is presently the sixth largest car maker in India after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra and Chevrolet.