The Auto Writer

If you look at the fortunes of America’s Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler — you might be under the impression that all is lost with each company. Sales are dropping big time, their fleets are too truck/SUV top heavy, and each automaker has retired tens of thousands of workers.

Of course, if you look at the US/Canada market your perspective would be correct.

However, you can’t stop there — each automaker has a global presence, though Chrysler only gets 10.7% of its sales internationally. General Motors and Ford, however, are huge on the world stage, selling far more cars abroad then they do at home.

In Europe, Ford is managing to keep its head above water, competing with General Motors and various European and Asian brands for that ultra-competitive market. In its 51 local markets Ford has sold 828,000 vehicles through May 2008, an increase of 2.3% year-over-year.

Moreover, there are some bright spots for Ford including being the top selling brand in Spain, Turkey, and the UK as well seeing its Russian sales increase by 36% for the month of May. The Ford Focus was the top selling car in Europe for May with over 35,000 units sold with Fiesta sales at 25,300 for the month.

Yes, Ford needs the North American market — its home territory — because it is the most profitable of any marketplace in the world. Selling fewer trucks and SUVs and selling more cars seems like a great idea, but it will cut into profits. Yet, Ford has to retool quickly or risk losing additional market share and even more cash as customers flee to fuel efficient imports.

(Source: Ford Motor Company)