Ford Canada posts best month in a decade in June

TORONTO (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co's (F.N) Canadian arm said on Friday its sales were up 15.7 percent in June over a year earlier, its best monthly performance in a decade.

It also said that based on industry trends, it was likely the top-selling automaker in the country in June, which means it has led the market for two consecutive quarters for the first time in more than 50 years.

Chrysler Canada reported its June sales figures on Thursday but most other major automakers had yet to post their Canadian results.

Ford Canada said it sold 31,707 vehicles in the month, with car sales up by 23.3 percent and truck sales up 13.2 percent.

"The Ford brand posted a 25 percent increase (last) June when the industry was down 14 percent, so a 16 percent gain for Ford of Canada in the month of June (2010) is extremely significant," Ford of Canada Chief Executive David Mondragon said in an interview.

In June of 2009, General Motors Co GM.UL and Chrysler were both in bankruptcy protection.

Ford has announced it will offer employee prices to the public through August for all its 2010 and 2011 models, adding to other sales incentives.

Mondragon said he expects the introduction of revamped models to feed the company's momentum in Canada. The fuel efficient Ford Fiesta recently went on sale, with the first one was sold last week. The new Explorer will come in the fourth quarter, to be followed by the 2011 Focus.

Chrysler Canada reported its June figures on Thursday. The company, which emerged from bankruptcy protection under the control of Italy's Fiat SpA (FIA.MI), said its sales doubled in June, the seventh straight month of at least 20 percent growth at the retail level.

Chrysler said it sold to 18,502 vehicles, compared with 9,211 in the same month of 2009.

The company's June gains included a tripling of minivan sales, a Chrysler mainstay, as well as record sales for the Dodge Ram pickup truck and Jeep Wrangler.

(Reporting by John McCrank, with additional reporting by Frank McGurty; editing by Peter Galloway)