Ford and Lincoln have announced plans to launch 17 new or refreshed vehicles in the Middle East and Africa in the next 24 months. Ford’s announcement, which was made at the 2013 Dubai International Motor Show coinciding with news of a realignment of the geographic operating regions from two separate divisions into a single “Middle East and Africa” business unit, are part of the automaker’s plans to accelerate growth in the regions.
The planned 17 new or refreshed vehicles include the new Ford Fusion mid-size sedan and Ford EcoSport subcompact crossover, which celebrated its debut in Dubai. In addition to the Fusion and EcoSport, auto show attendees will be able to see the Ford Atlas Concept. Widely believed to be a preview of the next-generation all-new 2015 F-150, the Atlas makes its global premier in Dubai outside of the North American auto show circuit.
“The Middle East and Africa is poised to become one of the next big automotive growth markets and we want to be there for these customers with great new cars and trucks,” said Stephen Odell, president, Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa, speaking at the show. “Ford and Lincoln sales have grown 60 percent in the Middle East over the past four years, and we expect total industry sales in the combined Middle East and Africa region to increase nearly 40 percent to around 5.5 million units by 2020.”
To note, the automaker’s Ford and Lincoln lineups in the Middle East are very similar to those in North America.
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