The Melbourne-based performance vehicle enhancer eclipsed its own sales records for the first, second and fourth quarters of last year as a total of 2,144 FPVs found new homes for the calendar year.

FPV has established itself as a heavyweight in the local performance car segment in less than four years of retail activity and expects to sell its 7,000th vehicle during January.

Managing Director Sak Ryopponen said the result was well earned in a challenging economic climate. “We had a lot of external factors to deal with last year that have made the mountain that little bit more difficult to climb,” he said.

He said a shift towards FPV’s F6 products – powered by the 270 kW turbo-powered in-line six cylinder engine – had been a major driver behind the record year result.

“Sales of our F6 Tornado (ute) and particularly the F6 Typhoon (sedan) continue to build as the legend of this phenomenal vehicle grows,” he said.

“The icing on the cake for our customers has been the introduction of the fantastic ZF 6-speed auto transmission, which is a no-cost option across the range and obviously proving an attractive enticement.”

Sales of FPV utes continue unabated despite forecasts that the ute market had peaked. “We’re continuing to see strong sales of both our turbo six and V8 ute variants. While sedans continue to form the backbone of our sales success, FPV ute sales are strong.”

Mr Ryopponen said the year-end result was also a vote of confidence for FPV’s model mix. “With the introduction of the luxury-based Force 6 and Force 8 in the fourth quarter we have a strong presence in all of the market segments we want to compete in,” he said.