Ford sales 'boosted by Fiesta demand'
Sales of Ford's Fiesta have increased across Europe, making the model the biggest seller in March 2010.
Over 11,000 more units of the car were sold than were sold of the next most-popular model, the Volkswagen Golf, the latest figures from automotive data and intelligence firm JATO Dynamics show.
"Fiesta has been closing the gap to Golf through 2010 and there are a number of factors behind this," said head of JATO Consult David Di Girolamo.
He noted that the markets in Europe that are buoyant at the moment are those where the Fiesta is commonly popular, and various scrappage schemes across Europe have helped to boost small car sales.
However, sales of the Ford model were ahead of the Golf in March 2009 as well, the organisation claims, noting that it remains to be seen whether the small car can keep ahead for the rest of the year.
The UK's scrappage scheme came to an end in March, but various offers designed to encourage new car sales are being provided by a number of manufacturers.