Ford Vans, SUVs, Lincoln SUVs Show Q1 Sales Success

As the COVIT-19 or coronavirus continues to wreak havoc with the nation, Ford disclosed its quarterly sales performance where the automaker performed better than expected in some areas and probably worse than expected in others.

Ford Sales Were Up And Down

Indeed, it seemed as if Ford performed better in some areas where they may not have expected to do as well – vans and SUVs – while other areas where they may have thought they would do worse, the automaker nearly held its own and still came out on top in F-150 sales.

This quarter Ford has stepped up. It is meeting the country's needs as a significant national manufacturer not only in its own business but also in battling the COVIT-19 menace head-on.

The nation needs ventilators to meet the needs of coronavirus patients, and the automaker has promised it will make 50,000 of them in 100 days. It is a massive commitment and shows that Ford is ready to answer the nation's needs in the country's hour of need. Ford has turned over an entire assembly line to the manufacture of medical ventilators.

Ford Marketer Praises Team Effort

Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president of U.S. marketing, sales, and service, emphasized Ford total commitment during these rough, challenging times:

"At Ford, we feel a deep obligation to step up and contribute In these unprecedented times. Our dealers and employees have jumped into action to support healthcare workers, their communities, and millions of our customers. Our Ford team is working around the clock on everything from building healthcare equipment, assisting our dealership network, and providing our customers peace of mind through deferred vehicle payments. I have never been more proud of our team."

Getting back to the automaker's quarterly sales picture, it is interesting to note that while Ford's F-150 and F-Series sales may be down 8.1 percent for the quarter, Ford remains in the number one truck line sales slot (that's what happens when you break out your truck sales by model and line).

Ford Sales Performance Comparison

GM, which reports by division, eked out a slight sales win for the quarter, with Chevrolet did place second in pickups. My colleague Jimmy Dinsmore discussed GM's recent quarterly sales gains.

Ford vans, let by the Transit, the automaker's flexible utilitarian truck, posted strong sales for the first quarter. Total van sales were 54,499, up 5.7 percent. Transit sales represented were 36,838. This figure represented the best sales since the Transit went on sale in 2014.

Meantime, Ford SUV sales were hot for the first quarter as the redesigned Explorer took off with sales of 56,310. The all-new intermediate-sized SUV posted sales that were up 10.5 percent. The ST Explorer posted a sales increase of 32 percent over last year. Despite the sales success of the redesigned Explorer, overall Ford van sales were down 12.7 percent.

Lincoln's Q1 retail sales were up 6.9 percent, while total Lincoln sales were up 2.3 percent. Much of the success in Ford's Lincoln division came from its SUVs, which expanded its market share by 12.2 percent in Q1.

Ford Division Makes Strong Showing

Overall, Lincoln SUV sales totaled 20,516 vehicles for a 6.1 percent hike. As the division's inventory has transitioned away from the MKC to the new Corsair, sales continued to expand. The transition was complete at the end of Q1. Totaling Corsair – the new Lincoln SUV – and MKC, sales were up 3.8, compared to MKC, a year ago.

Marc Stern has been an auto writer since 1971. It was a position that filled two boyhood dreams: One was that I would write, and two that I write about cars. When I took over as my newspaper's auto editor, I began a 32-year career as an automotive columnist. There isn't much on four wheels that I haven't driven or reviewed. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. Today, I am the Ford F150 reporter for Torque News. I write how-to and help columns for online sites such as Fixya.com and others. You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Most of Marc's stories can be found at Torque News Ford coverage. Check back again and search for Torque News Ford F-150 news for more F-150 truck news coverage.