Ford has given the strongest possible indication it will support the V8 Supercar Championship beyond this year.

Struggling with sluggish sales figures and with question marks about its long-term manufacturing strategy in Australia, Ford has greatly reduced its V8 series spend for teams further down the grid in recent years.

Ford’s main V8 support goes to its Ford Performance Racing team, with Stone Brothers Racing and Dick Johnson’s Jim Beam Racing also receiving financial backing from the manufacturer.

But new Ford Australia marketing vice-president Brad Brownell confirmed the marque’s commitment to the sport amid the gloomy sales climate, and as new manufacturers led by Nissan join the championship from 2013.

“I see racing as a key element for Ford Motor Company globally,” Brownell said at the Clipsal 500 on Sunday.

“This event (V8 Supercars) is going to be going globally with the different racetracks.

“We constantly evaluate all our assets to see what the return is, and right now we feel very bullish about the V8s.

“To me, competition (between manufacturers in the V8s) is a good thing.”

Holden confirmed its medium-term commitment to the sport last week, committing to new deals with flagship teams Team Vodafone and Holden Racing Team.

Brownell said he didn’t see any need to change the level of support for Ford’s V8 teams in the short-term, but warned the main driver for V8 sponsorship was how well Ford could reach potential car buyers.

“We feel we’re going to continue that relationship with our teams,” Brownell said.

“For us the most important thing is getting traffic on the showroom floor.

“We’re always looking at what the opportunities are, and we want to reach a broad consumer base and it entails folks who are interested in entry level Fiestas all the way up to the Ford Ranger.”

American Brownell, who hails from Texas, has a close interest in how the V8 Supercars’ foray to the United States goes next year.

The V8s are scheduled to race a round in Austin starting from 2013.