Ford Sales Climb 4.7% for Best July Since 2006

Ford credits continued strong demand for its newest products for a 4.7% increase in U.S. July daily sales, a performance the automaker calls its best for the month in nine years.

Ford delivered 217,148 vehicles last month for a daily sales rate of 8,352 units, up from 7,979 in the same period last year, according to WardsAuto data. There were 26 selling days last month, the same as in July 2014.

Ford’s U.S. market share ended the month at an estimated 14.4%, down from 14.5 % year-ago. Year-to-date Ford sales stood at 1,481,060, up 2.4% from 1,446,736 through the first seven months of 2014.

The Dearborn, MI, automaker says its roster of strong July performers was identical to June’s: the F-150 pickup, Edge 5-passenger CUV, Explorer midsize SUV and Mustang sports car.

Mark LaNeve, vice president-U.S. marketing, sales and service at Ford, adds the Transit small commercial van to that list.

With the redesigned ’15 F-150 now accounting for 92% of that model’s sales mix, average transaction prices reached $44,000 per unit, up $3,200, or 13%, from year-ago and 20% better than the June result.

The brisk sales rate didn’t prevent Ford from finishing July with F-150 inventory of 89,000 units, up from 87,000 at the beginning of the month.

‟We’ve got two plants running at full capacity now and our folks are really good at squeezing out more capacity,” LaNeve says in a conference call with analysts and media. Last month’s F-150 result was ‟incredibly strong...considering we had half the inventory we did a year ago.

‟We still think there’s upside as availability continues to improve over the next few months.”

SUV deliveries achieved a 10-year high last month, rising 11% overall on the strength of the Explorer’s 23.0% jump to 23,381 sales. Ford’s top seller in the segment was the Escape compact CUV, enjoying yet another best-ever July with a 10.1% increase to 29,253 deliveries.

‟The new Explorer is turning in 13 days,” LaNeve says, noting a Platinum model aimed at rivals in the segment’s premium subcategory has yet to reach showrooms.

The Fusion midsize sedan set a July record with 25,105 deliveries, up 4.9% from year-ago. All other car models posted year-over-year declines in July except for the Mustang, up 29.2% on 8,482 sales driven by an 81% surge in the important California market. The sports car’s best July since 2008 boosted year-to-date deliveries 51.1%.

In addition to the F-150’s continued solid performance, the light-truck segment recorded its best July in 15 years with a push from the recently launched Transit commercial van, contributing 8,025 sales following just 496 year-ago.

The Lincoln luxury brand saw sales improve 21.3% to 9,536 units, as a 39.3% jump by SUVs and CUVs offset a 3.6% decline in car deliveries. All utility vehicles posted gains for the segment’s best result since 2001, led by the MKC compact CUV on the strength of a 60% surge to 2,455 sales in July.

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