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In back to back months now, Ford Motor Company posted its best retail sales since 2003. Last month, Ford had a 23% increase year over year and this month that percentage is down, but still up year over year with a 4.1% uptick. All of this is in spite of a major inventory shortage due to a chip shortage.
“Ford sales were up 4.1 percent on tight inventories, while year-to-date sales increased 11.3 percent. Ford and its dealers are working harder than ever to match the right mix of inventory to best meet the needs of our customers at the local level,” said Andrew Frick, vice president, Ford Sales U.S. and Canada. “We have been receiving a massive number of reservations for our all-electric F-150 Lightning over the last two weeks – totaling over 70,000 trucks. Ford brand SUVs had their best May sales in 18 years, while Lincoln SUVs posted a new May record.”
Related story: Jim Farley claims focus has shifted to vehicles plus.
EVs and Hybrids Help Lead The Way For Ford Sales
One of the biggest areas of growth came from electrified vehicles. That’s not surprising since Ford is diving head-first into EVs and has launched the Mustang Mach-E and just recently revealed their plan for the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Frick said reservations for the Lightning already exceed 70,000 so that is impressive.
Overall, Ford’s electrified vehicle sales grew 184 percent in the month of May having sold more than 10,000 electric vehicles in May. The growth came from Mustang Mach-E which totaled 1,945 vehicle sales, while F-150 PowerBoost totaled 2,852 for the month, Escape electrified sales totaled 3,617 – up 125 percent over last year. Explorer Hybrid sales also had a big increase of 132 percent over a year ago on sales of 1,156 SUVs.
F-150 Sales Increase 4.7 Percent
It’s not surprising that Ford’s sales continue to be led by their best-selling nameplate – the Ford F-Series. The best-selling vehicle in America for decades continues to be a juggernaut, especially having launched the 14th-generation version of the F-150 which now includes its first-ever hybrid powertrain.
Ford sold 316,359 vehicles through May which represents 53,000 more trucks than Ford’s second-place competitor. Ford said, despite the chip shortage that sales and demand remain brisk. In the report, Ford said: “Retail orders for F-Series trucks are up three- fold over last year. Ford continues to fill orders as more semiconductor chips become available.”
Related story: Ford confirms new small truck will be named Maverick, to be revealed June 8.
Ford Gains Market Share in Small SUV Segment
The small SUV segment is so important. It’s highly competitive and also highly profitable. Ford launched the Bronco Sport as a competitor in this segment, ahead of the full-size Bronco. While more than 125,000 orders have been placed for the two-door and four-door Bronco which is highly anticipated, the sales of the Bronco Sport are also brisk.
Sales of Ford’s Bronco Sport continue to expand, while sourcing even more customer from outside of Ford. Bronco Sport sales totaled 14,947 in May. This is 6.9 percent higher than April and the vehicle’s best sales performance since launch.
“We are also seeing higher conquests, with 63 percent now coming from vehicles outside of the Ford brand. Bronco Sport’s No. 1 source of sales is coming from Jeep,” said Fick.
Related story: First Bronco Off-Roadeo School Opens For Customers.
Final Thoughts
Ford Motor Company’s stock has increased by almost 9% over the past week. CEO Jim Farley has taken criticism for his bold moves of using historic names for some of its new vehicles (like Mustang Mach-E and Ford Maverick). But the company is also laser focused on innovating and competing with the likes of Tesla.
There may be push back to change by many. Believe me, I see it in the comments from so many who claim to be Blue Oval fans, but if you truly want Ford to succeed you should support these bold moves, not gripe about them. I don’t think Ford is doing everything right, but they’re certainly navigating the company well through extraordinary times with some very exciting new products.
Also, watch Tesla Model Y and Mustang Mach E owner explains advantages of each EV on Torque News Youtube channel and please subscribe us on Youtube and follow on Twitter for daily Ford and EV news reports.
As always you get the final say. What do you think about Ford’s future and what they’re doing? Leave me your comment below.
Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.
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