- Powerhouses Ford Territory, Ford Taurus, Ford F-150, and Ford Expedition steer the automotive brand to a phenomenal 63% year-on-year sales surge across the Middle East region
- Year-on-year sales rose 52% in Kuwait – nearly triple the industry’s average growth
- Amidst fierce competition from 40-plus vehicles, Ford Territory secures number-one spot in Kuwait’s small SUV segment – and number two in the region overall – in its first year
KUWAIT, February 14, 2024 – Ford Middle East revs up to celebrate an outstanding year of sales in 2023, marking a 63% rise over 2022 across the region. This impressive achievement was fueled by the stellar performance of vehicles such as the Ford Territory, Ford Taurus, Ford F-150, and Ford Expedition.
Kuwait played its part in Ford’s spectacular regional growth story, recording a 52% year-on-year increase in sales – nearly triple the industry’s average of 18% in this market.
The standout success of 2023 was driven by Ford’s remarkable growth in the highly competitive small SUV segment – which has 40-plus vehicles in the region – with the Ford Territory the segment’s best-selling vehicle in Kuwait in its first year, ranking second in the region overall. Kuwait also saw the Ford F-150 continuing to dominate the full-size pick-up category, while the Ford Expedition also performed strongly in its segment.
“In many ways, 2023 was a milestone year for Ford in the Middle East,” said Ravi Ravichandran, President of Ford Middle East. “This is not the result of one year, but the efforts made over two; we developed a strong strategy for our product offerings, working hand in glove with our distributor partners and taking care of our team, all of which contributed to our record sales across the region.
“At Ford, we are deeply committed to Kuwait and the wider region, as proven by our actions in 2023 – whether through supporting our distributor partners with visits to Ford plants and hosting regular conferences; strengthening our always-on relationship with customers through initiatives such as the Ford Guest Experience; or hosting media ride-and-drive events and large-scale launches, as we did with the Ford Territory and Ford Ranger in Saudi Arabia, and the Ford Everest in Oman.
“For Ford Middle East, distributors are the face of our brands in the customers’ eyes, so it’s imperative that they feel fully supported by us, and we’re proud of our high satisfaction score.”
In addition to the remarkable success in Kuwait, Ford Middle East also achieved a strong year of sales growth across the border in Saudi Arabia, with retail figures surging by an impressive 77% over 2022.
The brand has ambitious plans to build on last year’s success through 2024. Besides driving further growth in sales and parts revenue, a pivotal aspect of Ford Middle East’s vision for the future is the continued rollout of the Ford Guest Experience in collaboration with its distributor partners, to redefine service standards in line with Ford’s firm commitment to treating customers like family.
“Through 2024, we aim to capitalize on our strengths and a strong 2023 as we continue to focus on our core refreshed product portfolio, lay the groundwork for bringing electric vehicles to the region in 2025, and deliver flawless launches of the All-New Lincoln Nautilus, Ford Mustang, Ford F-150, Ford Taurus Hybrid, Ford Explorer, and Lincoln Aviator,” added Ravichandran.
“The Middle East region is committed to the Ford+ values of creating must-have products and services that our customers love and appreciate, turning around automotive operations, caring for our teams, and treating our customers and partners as family.
“I’d like to thank our hard-working distributor partner, Alghanim & Sons, for making 2023 a huge success in Kuwait and look forward to even greater achievements in 2024.”