Ford Car Sales Continue Freefall

Ford car sales followed a 24% fall in February with a 26% slide in March as overall light-vehicle sales by the Dearborn automaker declined 7% in volume and daily sales rate to 229,022 deliveries. March had 27 selling days this year and last.

WardsAuto data shows declines by Ford small cars (14%), midsize cars (34%) and large cars (10%), with the Fusion off 37%, Mustang down 27%, Focus dipping 23% and Taurus losing 10%. The Fiesta subcompact was the bright spot with a 21% increase.

A 17% drop in fleet sales against significantly higher fleet volume in early 2016 is impacting the car-segment picture, says Mark LaNeve, vice president-U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.

In addition, although Ford’s overall car sales are down, the company maintains the same share in the segment, indicative of the continuing industrywide shift from cars to SUVs and CUVs, LaNeve says.

Ford has pared about 50,000 cars from inventory in response to the trend, but the automaker still has confidence in the segment, which makes up about one-third of all light-vehicle sales, LaNeve says.

“We adjust production accordingly, and therefore dealer inventory, to respond to demand,” LaNeve says. “But the segment is still important to us and our customers that want passenger cars, and so we’re going to continue to deliver great passenger cars to the market.”

Meanwhile, F-Series sales keep cruising in 2017, with the light-duty truck posting an 11% gain in March with 75,457 deliveries.

“Our high-series Super Duty trucks and all-new F-150 Raptor drove double digit F-Series sales gains in March, along with the strongest year-over-year increase in transaction prices of any truck manufacturer in the industry,” he says.

Sales of the outgoing Expedition leaped 43%, while the Lincoln MKC chipped in a 17% increase, helping keep Ford truck sales essentially flat for the month.

LaNeve says if F-Series strength continues through the year as projected, the truck will surpass last year’s 800,000 deliveries. “All systems seem to be ‘go’ on the pickup truck business right now,” he says.

Lincoln dipped 1.4%, but LaNeve notes retail deliveries were up 5% and the brand is posting a nearly 9% gain in volume year-to-date against the backdrop of a down luxury segment.

Ford’s average transaction prices remain healthy at $34,640, an increase of $1,800 per vehicle (and $2,500 on trucks) compared with an industrywide increase of $190.

The automaker ended the month with 701,801 vehicles in inventory, equal to an 80-day supply, compared with 682,100 and 79 days’ supply at the end of February. The March total included 168,133 cars (79 days’ supply), 204,695 utilities (72) and 328,973 trucks (87).

[email protected] @bobgritzinger