F Ford Motor Company

By Olivia Bugault

Ford Motor Co. (F) said Tuesday that car sales in Europe slumped in September after several manufacturers pulled forward sales ahead of new emissions rules coming into effect.

Sales in the month decreased 15% to 77,500 vehicles compared with last year, the auto maker's European subsidiary said.

However, Ford said its total market share, including commercial vehicles, grew in 19 out of its 20 traditional European markets, with the biggest growth by volume in the U.K., Germany and Italy.

In September, the European Union introduced a new emissions testing standard, the worldwide harmonized light-vehicles test procedure, designed to better reflect on-the-road emissions. The switch to the new rules led to increased competition and pricing pressure as manufacturers offered discounts to sell their noncompliant vehicles ahead of the deadline.

"Ford has free supply of the latest emissions levels and did not need to force-register surplus stock, resulting in the growth of our passenger car and commercial vehicle market share last month," Roelant de Waard, sales chief of Ford of Europe, said.

Write to Olivia Bugault at olivia.bugault@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 16, 2018 07:54 ET (11:54 GMT)

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