New Mondeo, recovering economy boost Ford sales in Europe; 6,700 orders for new Mustang

Ford of Europe says sales rose 16 percent in June as demand jumped for its mid-size Mondeo in a recovering European market.

The company said Tuesday that sales rose 55 percent for the new version of the Mondeo, sold as the Fusion in the U.S.

The company also saw stronger demand for its Kuga and EcoSport SUVs, a segment that has seen good growth.

Europe marketing chief Roelant de Waard credited the new models as well as a rebound in economies that suffered most during Europe's financial crisis, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

He said the company was seeing more customers choosing higher-priced versions of a given model: "You can see customers spending more money, and in this case in particular buying richer vehicles."