Ford for the fifth consecutive year finishes as the top-selling U.S. brand, outselling second-place Chevrolet by 290,344 units, according to WardsAuto data. For full-year 2014, Ford deliveries were flat at 2,418,260 units.
The year was full of ups and downs, especially as the automaker began transitioning from the outgoing F-150 pickup to the all-new aluminum-intensive ’15 version. By far Ford’s best-selling vehicle, the changeover to the new F-150 won’t be completed until midyear, as the automaker’s Kansas City, MO, plant is still transitioning.
The changeover led to a 4.7% decline in F-Series December deliveries vs. year-ago to 69,240. For full-year 2014, F-Series sales fell 1.8% to 700,796.
Early indications are the new F-Series is a hit among consumers, says John Felice, vice president-U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.
“Initial response to the (new) F-150 is strong,” he says in a conference call with reporters and analysts to discuss December sales results. “They’re spending only five days on lots and are the fastest-turning vehicles in dealers’ showrooms. We’re shipping as quickly as possible.”
Felice says to date consumers have virtually built and priced 996,000 F-Series trucks on Ford.com and dealers say interest in the pickup is high.
Without a strong month from F-Series, Ford sales in December fell 2.7% daily to 214,254, according to WardsAuto data.
Many of the automaker’s best-selling vehicles had a poor month, including the Fusion, off 8.7%, and Escape, which posted a slight 0.6% increase.
Low U.S. fuel prices, which average $2.19 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Assn., are not expected to drive sales of F-Series, or any of Ford’s larger vehicles, says Erich Merkle, the automaker’s top U.S. sales analyst.
“Fuel prices have little correlation with long-term vehicle-segmentation shifts,” he says. “Demographics and evolving needs based on life stages drive segment changes.”
Merkle says short term Ford is seeing a slight shift in segmentation, noting small cars in particular have lost a full percentage point compared with year-ago and now account for only 18% of industry sales.
Ford’s smallest offerings, the Fiesta and Focus, posted December declines of 20.0% and 8.0%, respectively, and fell 11.0% and 6.3% in full-year 2014.
Some of Ford’s newest products performed well in December, including the fullsize Transit commercial van, which had 10,030 deliveries for the month. Although year-over-year comparisons are not possible, Felice says Transit sales were up 107% vs. November, its best performance since its launch in June.
The all-new Mustang was another December highlight, with 9,511 deliveries, a 59.6% increase vs. year-ago. The pony car was well received in Texas, its top market, where sales jumped 51%, and California, where it posted a 73% year-over-year gain.
“The (Mustang sales) performance comes as we mark the first sales of the convertible,” Felice says.
The Lincoln luxury division had mixed results in December. Deliveries of the flagship MKZ midsize sedan sagged 10.2% in the month, while the MKX and MKT CUVs posted declines of 36.9% and 42.7%, respectively.
But Felice points to the relatively strong performance of the MKC CUV, which saw 2,310 deliveries in December. The new Navigator fullsize SUV also had a solid showing with an 82.2% year-over-year jump to 1,792.
“For the year, Lincoln sales increased 16%, twice as much as the overall growth in the luxury segment,” he says. “We’re encouraged by the positive performance with the new products leading the way.”
