[LEFT]Ford has been making some real progress here in North America, with sales up 37 percent in the first quarter. That's good news to be sure, and new reports indicate that Blue Oval may be experiencing as much success across The Pond. The Detroit Free Press reports that Ford is now the number-one selling brand in the ultra-competitive Europe market after March sales in the top 19 Euro countries outpaced the industry with a 11.5 percent sales gain. Ford's sales boost during March boosted the company's overall market share to 10.4 percent, up .4 percent versus the year ago period.

The big reason for Ford's sales dominance in Europe is the new Fiesta. The Fiesta accounted for 68,000 of the company's 192,500 sales for the month, up 28.6 percent versus last March. The Fiesta appears to be picking up sales momentum in Europe, even after finishing 2009 as the second highest-selling vehicle in Europe behind the Volkswagen Golf. The Fiesta, which was launched late in 2008 in Europe, arrives in U.S. dealerships this summer.


Gallery: Review: 2010 Ford Fiesta (Euro-Spec)





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