SANTA MONICA, CA - Data from Edmunds.com, an online resource for automotive information, suggests that Ford could return to being the number two automaker in the United States.

“Ford has demonstrated that the key to a turnaround is product, product, product – while pushing costs down,” says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs, who covers the subject in more detail at AutoObserver.com. “The company’s market share for 2010 is over 17% for the first time since 2006, and Fords are selling at a higher relative price and with lower incentives.”

Edmunds.com analysts also noted the following facts about Ford:

Ford’s average sticker price rose $952 from 2009 to 2010 while Ford’s average transaction price climbed $1,294 during the same period.

In terms of incentives, Ford spent $3,221 per vehicle sold in the first quarter of 2010; last year, they spent $3,338 per vehicle.

The average Ford vehicle took 51 days to be sold once it reached the dealership in the first quarter of 2010. Last year, Ford averaged 73 days-to-turn.

In the first quarter of 2010 the Ford F-150 once again became the top-selling light vehicle in the U.S.

“Ford’s biggest worry now is how to lessen its current debt,” says Krebs. “But Alan Mulally deserves credit for keeping the automaker on a consistent, steady course – and Bill Ford deserves a round of applause for hiring Mulally!”