Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/706995
43 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 JULY 2016 Ford sales in Europe rise 7.5% in first half of 2016 FORD posted its best first half for total vehicle sales and pas- senger car sales since 2010 and best commercial vehicle sales since 1993 in its 20 traditional European markets. Ford total vehicle sales in the Euro 20 rose 7.5 percent to 718,700 vehicles in the first half, which equalled a market share of 7.9 percent. Including Russia and Turkey, Ford sales rose 7.2% to 792,800 vehicles in the first six months. Across all of 50 European markets***, Ford vehicles sales increased by 7.1% to 807,500 vehicles in the first half of the year. Market share was f lat at 7.7 percent for the first six months of the year. Key to Ford of Europe's first half was a strong performance in the private retail segment, success in selling higher-end vehicles and continued com- mercial vehicle leadership. "Customers across Europe are buying nicer Fords -- from per- formance heroes like Mustang and Focus RS, to our new f lag- ship Edge SUV, to more upscale Titanium and Vignale versions of our mainstream vehicles," said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. "Just as importantly, we have become Europe's commercial vehicle leader with our Transit and Ranger line-up." Ford sales in higher value sales channels improved in the first half of 2016, with retail and f leet sales accounting for 74 percent of Ford car sales, 3 per- centage points up on last year and 5 percentage points better than the industry average. Commercial vehicles Ford was Europe's No. 1 com- mercial vehicle brand in the first six months of the year in both its European 20 tradition- al markets, and in its Europe 22 market group which further in- cludes Turkey and Russia. Ford commercial vehicle sales in the first half of 2016 rose 17 percent to 162,500 vehicles, and market share was up by 0.6 per- centage points to 13 percent on increased demand for the ex- panded Transit range and the Ranger pickup. In June, Ford's CV sales volume was up 18 per- cent at 29,900 vehicles with a market share of 12.5 percent, up 0.8 percentage points. Sales of the Ranger pickup increased by 39 percent in the first half to record its best since it was launched in in 1998. Transit sales rose 20 percent year-over-year, and retained its position as the No.1 sell- ing nameplate in the com- bined 1-tonne and 2-tonne CV through to the end of May, the latest data period available. SUVs Kuga had its best-ever first half sales with 63,100 vehicles sold – a 22 percent increase on the same period last year. To date, about 4,600 European customers have ordered a Ford Edge prior to the SUV arriving at their local Ford dealerships this summer. In the compact SUV segment, EcoSport sales rose 64 percent to 30,100 vehi- cles in the first six months of 2016. Performance cars Combined sales of Ford's performance line-up – Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Focus ST diesel, Focus RS and Mustang – dou- bled in June and increased by 116 percent year-to-date. Since last September, 8,200 Focus RS customer orders have been taken and 2,700 units delivered to date. Customer orders for the Ford Mustang now stand at 19,400 since the car was launched in Europe in the third quarter of 2015. High Specification model sales Sales of higher specifica- tion Ford models continued to increase in June. Titanium specification models' sales rose 4 percentage points in Ford's European 20 traditional mar- kets to 40 percent of total sales. Ford's high series models – the Titanium models plus other high series models including Vignale, ST, and Red/Black Edi- tions – accounted for 60 percent of Ford's passenger car sales, up 3 percentage points from June 2015. The latest additions of high specification sporty mod- els, the Fiesta ST-Line, the Fo- cus ST-Line and the Mondeo ST-Line are now available to order for the first time, with further three ST-Line models to follow before the end of the year. "The second half will be an- other exciting product story for Ford of Europe," de Waard said. "With the Edge coming out now, the updated Transit vans with our all-new EcoBlue engine and the new ST-Line, we will continue to surprise customers. We are also excited about the KA+, an entry-priced small car that offers outstand- ing interior space, fuel efficien- cy and fun-to-drive dynamics at an affordable price." Thermal Insulation: what is the return on investment? IN the not so distant past, spend- ing money on thermal insulation for a building was met with an attitude of "Why bother?" Well, thankfully this attitude has changed drastically over the past few years, and it comes as no surprise considering the savings one can achieve in energy costs to maintain a building at a com- fortable temperature, especially in the summer months here in Malta. A word on insulation materials Several insulation materials are available, such as rock-wool, cork and wood. However, Ex- panded Polystyrene (EPS) and or Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) are by far the most cost effective and efficient insulation. This is no surprise since they are made up of a closed cell structure con- sisting of approximately 96% air. This particular structure gives a very low conductivity value (K Value) typically around 0.035 W/mK depending on the den- sity chosen. To give an idea, one can compare this figure to that of wood (0.140 W/mK), torba (crushed rock - 0.800 W/mK), limestone (1.10 W/mK), rein- forced concrete (2.30 W/mK); and on the other end of the scale to copper, which is known for its conductive properties (200.00 W/mK). We are referring to materials which resist the transfer of heat, however the measure of thermal insulation is not expressed by the thermal resistance (R val- ue). The measure is how much energy the material conducts (C conductance W/m2K), often referred to as the U value. The U value is actually the conduct- ance of a structure made up of different materials. This reason- ing is correct, because it is the energy that passes through the building structure that directly affects us, and against which we need to calculate the require- ments for our heating and cool- ing equipment to retain a com- fortable temperature level. Where and how should insulation be used? One should distinguish be- tween planning a new building and retrofitting. Walls: In new buildings one has a unique choice to place the insulation between the stone or brick leaf. Alternatively, one may opt to insulate on the exter- nal side of the building using a system often referred to as 'Cap- potto'. This system involves the fixing of the EPS sheets to the wall, and coating the EPS with a resin plaster reinforced with a PVC net. One could also place the insulation on the internal side of the wall by using an in- sulated gypsum board, which is a gypsum/EPS panel. Under-f loor: this is normally only available for new buildings, with the added benefits of reduc- ing humidity. Roofs: this area is definitely the most important part of the building to insulate, as it is the area which absorbs the most heat in summer, and loses the most heat in winter since hot air rises. In new buildings the in- sulation is placed between what we locally call the 'Kontra bejt'. That is between the torba which is placed over the reinforced concrete to obtain the necessary gradient, and the final concrete screed. In existing buildings one may use an insulated tile which is EPS or XPS glued to a tile, these are simply placed over the existing roof. Conclusion As one can clearly see from the above workings, insulation is imperative if one wishes to live at a pleasant temperature with- out having to pay an abhorrently high price for it. One can safely conclude that thermally insulat- ing a building is definitely one of the best investment decisions one must take during the con- struction and upgrading phases of any property. Taking an example for a roof, to obtain the desired U value through the roof structure it is calculated that a material with a conductance of 0.493 W/m2K is needed. Let us find the energy that can be saved by calculating the heat f low (Q value) through a typical roof in the three summer months and compare it to the same roof with the insulation mentioned above, assuming an internal temperature 25 deg C. Heat f low through standard roof build-up: 15cm reinforced concrete + average 75mm torba + 75mm concrete screed: 115.43 W/sq.m. Assuming roof area 100 sq.m., heat f low through all the roof is 11.543Kw Heat f low through INSU- LATED roof using any of the above insulation (0.493 W/ m2K ); 15cm reinforced concrete + av- erage 50mm torba + insulation + 75mm concrete screed: 15.22W/ sq.m. Assuming same roof area 100sq.m., heat f low through IN- SULATED roof is 1.522Kw: Assuming a modest six hours of peak sunshine per day for the three summer months, the difference in heat f low between the insulated roof and the stand- ard roof throughout the sum- mer shall be: 5,411 Kwh saved throughout the three summer months. The above-mentioned insu- lation in a new roof will cost around €800. Compared to the energy saved, the investment is returned within the first sum- mer!