Autoblog

Ford tops 2 million US sales in 2012

Jeffrey N. Ross — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:32:00 EST

Ford won't be snagging the best-selling-car title away from Toyota just yet, but in addition to what should be another runaway best-selling-truck title, it can also boast being the top-selling brand in the US last year. While year-end sales totals aren't even in yet, Ford has already confirmed that it hit a big milestone by selling more than two million sales in the US for the year.

Following the November numbers that were up 5.4 percent year-over-year and were only about a month's worth of Escape sales short of the two-million-sales mark (1,961,177) to begin with, this didn't come as a huge surprise, but what is noteworthy is that Ford is the only brand to eclipse this mark since 2007 (and it has done so two years in a row). Chevrolet and Toyota are the closest competitors to Ford having sold 1,684,555 and 1,674,802 units, respectively, through November, but this doesn't include sales from other brands. Looking at automakers as a whole, General Motors should have top sales with almost 2.4 million units tallied at the end of November while Ford and Lincoln combined just barely passed two million sales during this same period.

Putting things in a bigger scale, Ford also says that, as of September, the Focus, F-Series and Fiesta models were three of the top five in global sales based on data provided by Polk. We should have our By The Numbers post up soon with a full breakdown of December and 2012 sales, but until then, check out some of Ford's press release posted after the jump.

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Ford tops 2 million US sales in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford to exceed EcoBoost target by 100,000 units

Chris Shunk — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Ford, Lincoln

Like almost every other automaker these days, Ford is having a tough time in Europe right now, and here in the States, its per-share stock price is lagging, but that isn't stopping the automaker from exceeding some of its goals. The Detroit Free Press reports that sales of the company's EcoBoost turbocharged and direct-injected engines are going beyond expectations. The Blue Oval's signature powerplants have made it to a wide variety of Ford and Lincoln products, from larger vehicles like the Explorer, Taurus and MKT to smaller models like the new Escape and Focus ST.

In fact, Ford is reportedly on track to sell 1.6 million of these forced-induction vehicles in 2013 - a full 100,000 units more than it had previously estimated.

The smaller, more efficient EcoBoost powerplants will make the Ford lineup more efficient and a program to cut down the amount of platforms the automaker uses globally is helping to trim costs. Ford product development chief Raj Nair claims that the automaker is on track to clip its platforms from 22 in 2011 to 10 by 2017. The move should save Ford hundreds of millions of dollars as platform costs drop as scale increases.

Ford to exceed EcoBoost target by 100,000 units originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford tops in non-retail sales, 45% of Focus sold to fleets

Jeff Sabatini — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, Earnings/Financials

Most everyone at Ford is grinning from ear-to-ear these days, as the company is enjoying profits as well as a vastly improved product portfolio and public image. Sales are up, the product pipeline is full, and market share grew last year. You can almost imagine Ford CEO Alan Mulally saying, "What, me worry?"

But that's exactly what he should be doing, according to Forbes, which suggests Ford is growing arrogant and its numbers aren't nearly as solid as they appear. For instance, Forbes says Ford was also right up there with Toyota and Honda when it came to recalls last year, far outpacing crosstown rivals General Motors and Chrysler. Ford recalled some 3.3 million vehicles in 2011, compared with 773,000 for Chrysler and just 500,000 for GM.

But the real shocker is that Forbes says Ford tops all automakers when it comes to fleet sales. Not only are fleet sales usually less profitable, but they also tend to hurt resale values, meaning that selling 32 percent of its vehicles into fleets last year does not bode well for the Blue Oval or the residual values of its owners. According to the report, the model with the most fleet sales was the new-for-2012 Focus. A staggering 45 percent of Focus models sold last year were to fleets, which isn't good for anyone, save the guy standing in line at the Hertz counter.

Editor's note: Ford contacted us to clarify a few things about its 2011 fleet sales. The first is that rental fleet sales as a percent of total volume was 12 percent, which it claims is a smaller percentage than GM and Chrysler's rental fleet sales. Fleet sales of commercial vehicles, meanwhile, were 14 percent of total sales volume, while government sales were six percent.

Ford tops in non-retail sales, 45% of Focus sold to fleets originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Ford Focus sales being hurt by low supply

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hatchback, Ford

Even though Ford's light vehicle sales were up seven percent in August of this year versus last, the company is running low on a very popular product: there simply aren't enough of the 2012 Focus to go around. The company's sales analyst, George Pipas, said it's because there isn't enough inventory, with 5,500 Focuses in stock at the end of July.

It's a good problem to have if that's the real cause, but it's still a problem. Focus sales declined more than 12 percent last month, year-on-year, and it was outsold by the Cruze by more than 7,000 units. Pipas cited the process and supplier issues at the truck factory that was refitted to build the Focus, but said that inventory levels were expected to return to normal in Q4. Then we'll find out if the the summer slump after May's high of 22,303 sales is due to supply.

The Focus is doing Ford well in other ways, though, with Ford's VP of marketing, sales and service saying that the average age of Focus buyers has dropped by eight years, California customers are leading the pack and they are trading in imports to go domestic.

2012 Ford Focus sales being hurt by low supply originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford projecting 50% sales growth by 2015

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, China, Ford, India

Alan Mulally has done a lot of good for the Blue Oval brand, but the Ford CEO still has big plans for the automaker. In fact, Mulally's goal is to see a 50 percent increase in global sales by the year 2015. An ambitious target, which would see Ford selling nearly eight million vehicles around the world.

How does Mulally expect to achieve this substantial growth? According to USA Today, Ford plans to increase its footprint in the growing markets in Africa and Asia, with a specific focus on the Chinese car-buying public. Small cars will be the key to increased sales in those markets. Ford hopes to make make money on these lower-margin vehicles through sheer volume thanks to the growth potential of these still-emerging markets.

Ford projecting 50% sales growth by 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Ford beats GM in March sales

Chris Shunk — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:56:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM

2011 Ford Fiesta SES - Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors posted its seventh consecutive sales gain for the month of March, with 206,621 total sales. A good month, no doubt, but Ford had a better month for just the second time since 1998. Ford last bested GM in February, 2010. The Blue Oval posted sales of 212,295, thanks in part to a 21-percent jump in truck sales.

That's a victory of 5,674 units for the Dearborn, MI-based automaker, but the real drubbing came in the ongoing battle of Ford Vs. Chevrolet. The Bowtie brand moved 148,197 units, compared to 203,794 for Team Ford. That's a 28-percent sales jump for the Blue Oval, which admittedly amped up fleet sales for the month, but retail sales were also up 14 percent.

Ford had plenty of hot products moving off dealer lots, with 53,272 F-Series trucks sold, a record 9,787 Fiestas and record March sales for the Escape and Fusion. One factor holding back GM sales was a $700 per vehicle cutback in incentive spending, though that will probably help the automaker's bottom line more than a few extra Malibu sedans rolling off the line.

While Ford was victorious in March, GM is still up for the year by 97,000 units. Stay tuned to Autoblog for our monthly By the Numbers update, which will lay out sales totals for all of the major automakers selling in the U.S.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Breaking: Ford beats GM in March sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford to outsell GM in March?

Chris Shunk — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:35:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM, Earnings/Financials

March sales don't end until Thursday evening, but an Edmunds sales forecast suggests that Ford could beat General Motors in sales for the first time since February, 2010. The Blue Oval is projected to sell 210,000 vehicles for the month, up 34 percent from February figures. Edmunds sees GM having a solid month as well, but the crystal ball sees 208,000 sales for The General, up less than one percent from February sales.

One reason for GM's sales slump is a reduction in incentives from February levels, as the Detroit, MI-based automaker slashed incentives by an average of $700 per vehicle. That sounds like a massive drop in rebates, but keep in mind that GM was the industry leader in incentive spending for the first two months of the year. Meanwhile, Ford bumped up spending by a reported $84 per vehicle, mostly due to an effort to clear last-generation Focus sales as the 2012 models begin heading into dealerships.

Edmunds also sees a big March for the rest of the industry, with Toyota expected to move 181,000 units, followed by 135,000 vehicles for Honda, 117,000 for Nissan and 112,000 for Chrysler. Don't forget that these are merely projections for March numbers, and anything can happen between now and Friday.

Edmunds also mentions that sales dropped off as March wore on, as the Japan disaster, international conflicts and high gas prices began to wear on sales. Stay tuned to Autoblog for our official By The Numbers post as the figures roll in.

[Source: Edmunds Auto Observer | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Ford to outsell GM in March? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford paying dealers to teach MyFord Touch to buyers

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Technology, Ford, Lincoln

MyFord Touch - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Blue Oval's MyFord Touch infotainment system is a powerful bit of kit, so it's perhaps understandable that there's proving to be a fairly substantial learning curve attached to it.

Thus, it's no surprise that Ford salespeople are spending more time than normal with car buyers to explain how it all works. But as the old sales chestnut says, time is money, so Ford will reportedly compensate its sales force by providing $75 for every vehicle sold with the MyFord Touch system. This also applies to Lincoln models sold with the MyLincoln Touch system. In addition to the $75 MyFord Touch bounty, Ford is also providing $50 for any vehicle sold with Sync. The move by Dearborn is to assure that sales people take the necessary time to teach buyers how to master the system, and thus avoid disgruntled owners.

Despite the lack of a 'Recomended' rating from Consumer Reports, Ford is forging full steam ahead with its MyFord Touch system. By 2015, the automaker plans to make it available on 80 percent of its lineup.

Gallery: MyFord and MyLincoln Touch

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Report: Ford paying dealers to teach MyFord Touch to buyers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Chevrolet Camaro beats Ford Mustang in 2010 sales

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Ford, GM

In the American sports car landscape, the Chevrolet Camaro is the king... of sales for 2010. For the first time since 1985, the Camaro has outsold its arch rival, the Ford Mustang. In fact, Chevrolet sold 7,655 more of its sporty coupes than the Blue Oval. General Motors moved 81,371 Camaros compared to 73,716 Mustangs.

Both automakers have reasons to celebrate, however, because sales for each model are up year over year. Compared to 2009, Mustang sales climbed 10.6 percent and Camaro sales soared by 31.9 percent. Ford and General Motors are looking at positive numbers across the board, with the exception of GM's now-defunct brands. Heck... even now-defunct Mercury sales rose one percent in 2010.

[Sources: Ford, General Motors]
Photo copyright (C)2011 AOL

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Officially Official: Chevrolet Camaro beats Ford Mustang in 2010 sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford begins online car sales in the UK, 40% of buyers approve

Dan Roth — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:29:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Ford, UK

Ford has started offering vehicles for direct sale via the internet for United Kingdom customers. Ford conducted its own research and found that almost 40 percent of buyers don't even care about a test drive; they just want what they want with the click of a mouse.

Ford has set 50 dealers up to sell new and used cars and commercial vehicles on the web, and sales swung into action on June 29th. A new call center has also been opened to close the deal for customers that seek an alternative to the online purchase. The cars will be delivered to regional delivery centers; Ford has set up 12 facilities where customers will collect their cars and drive off.

The 550 traditional Ford dealers in the UK might understandably be miffed at this direct-sales move, but they're still the preferred choice of sixty percent of buyers. Haggling is possible with either outlet, and cutting out a level of complexity and cost would make life easier and possibly more profitable for Ford. For now, all statements support both efforts running in parallel.

[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

Ford begins online car sales in the UK, 40% of buyers approve originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Q1 revenue, sales up at Ford on strong F-Series, Fusion sales

Chris Shunk — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, Earnings/Financials

By most accounts, Ford had a pretty good first quarter. Sales were up 37 percent versus the first three months of 2009, and The Blue Oval's market share rose an impressive 2.7 percentage points during the period. According to a report in USA Today, Ford President Mark Fields says that the extra showroom traffic led to added revenue for the company. And while added revenue doesn't always translate into increased profits, the extra cash generated by increased sales makes an "in the black" first quarter far more likely. If Ford does manage a profit in the first quarter, it would mark the fourth consecutive period of cash gains for the Dearborn, MI-based automaker. Impressive, considering Ford lost nearly $15 billion in 2008.

The sales gains at Ford were realized mostly from the sale of Blue Oval-badged cars, trucks and crossovers. Lincoln and Mercury didn't see much in the way of gains, but USA Today quotes Ford analyst George Pipas as saying most of the marketing money was spent on Ford, adding "If we were going to fix the business, we had to fix the Ford brand, because that's where we had the best chance of getting a return."

The Ford vehicle that realized the most gains in the first quarter was the Fusion. Ford's mid-size sedan saw an 81 percent increase in sales compared to the first three months of 2009. Ford also increased its share of the pickup truck market. The profit-rich F-Series increased its overall share of the truck market to 38.5 percent, up 5.3 percent year-over-year. Ford is expected to announce official first quarter earnings later in the month.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Report: Q1 revenue, sales up at Ford on strong F-Series, Fusion sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford outsells GM, Toyota in February sales

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:50:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

February's automotive sales numbers are slowly rolling in, and we're already seeing that Toyota's recall crisis has severely hurt the company's overall sales. On the other hand, its loss has proved to be a real gain for other automakers, especially Ford Motor Company, sales of which topped not only Toyota's in February, but General Motors' as well.

Both Ford and GM posted healthy increases last month - the Blue Oval folks up by 43 percent and GM up by 12. Toyota, by contrast, was down 9 percent versus February 2009. Keep in mind, not only were new car buyers eager to stay away from Toyota lots, but the automaker was required to stop selling many of its most popular models for a short period of time last month. Camry sales, for example, dropped 20 percent versus last year's numbers.

Ford may be wearing the crown of America's best selling automaker for February 2010, but it's important to note that it only sold 334 more vehicles than GM. We'll see if Ford can hold on to this trend, especially since new products like the 2011 Fiesta will be hitting showrooms in the not-too-distant future and GM has still yet to permanently shed its four non-core brands.

[Source: The New York Times]

Ford outsells GM, Toyota in February sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford to benefit most from Toyota's woes in February sales totals

Chris Shunk — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:19:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Toyota

2010 Ford Fusion Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

Toyota is bracing for lower February sales as its massive recall and the ensuing media storm have cast a shadow over the automaker. Just how low can Toyota go? The Detroit Free Press says it could see its lowest US market share in over five years this month, with about 12 percent of U.S. sales.

Most analysts anticipate that Toyota will have a very rough month, but the big question on their minds is which automakers stand to gain the most from Toyota's pain. Edmunds and TruCar reportedly think that winner will be Ford, as they estimate that the Oval will see a 35-percent sales increase. If correct, that'll vastly outpace the nine to 14 percent increase for the month that was previously forecasted.

Despite Ford's anticipated performance and projected double-digit gains for the industry as a whole, the market is still struggling. After all, these February 2010 sales projections are increases in relation to the dismal February 2009 numbers, which came as the recession helped deliver the industry its lowest sales levels in 30 years. February 2010 sales are also expected to be generally lower because of the multiple east coast snowstorms that kept customers out of dealerships for much of the month.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Ford Fusion Sport

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Report: Ford to benefit most from Toyota's woes in February sales totals originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking Way Up: Ford posts 33% sales gain in 2009, 15% market share

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Earnings/Financials

We'll have our monthly By the Numbers post ready lickity split, but here's a little tidbit worth sharing ahead of the full data download. While automotive sales have been almost universally down in 2009 compared to 2008, Ford has a legitimate reason to crow about its December figures, which are up a third over December of '08 and an impressive 50 percent over November.

Ford boasts that its market share is up to 15 percent - one full percentage point higher than in 2008 and the first time since 1995 that the Blue Oval has gained on its competitors. Ford, Lincoln and even Mercury sales were improved in December. Here are a few of the highlights:

Ford Fusion: Posted a December sales increase of 83 percent and set new December (18,852) and full-year (180,671) sales records.
Ford Taurus: Sales totaled 7,256 for the month, up 110 percent versus a year ago. Since the introduction of the 2010 model in August, Taurus sales are nearly 90 percent higher than a year ago.
Ford Escape: Set a December sales record (19,156), up 75 percent versus a year ago. For the full year, Escape sales totaled 173,044, the second-best sales year ever.
Ford F-Series: America's best-selling truck for 33 years in a row. Best sales month since March 2008. F-Series sales in December were 48,209 (up 16 percent), bringing the full-year total to 413,625. In 2009, F-Series increased its leadership position among full-size pickups with a 4 percentage-point gain in segment share.
Ford Hybrids: December sales of hybrid vehicles totaled 2,843, up 147 percent versus a year ago. Sales totaled 33,502 in 2009, a new record and up 72 percent versus a year ago.

Ford's full-year sales totaled 1.62 million vehicles, down 15 percent from 2008. Even that, though, is a mild ray of sunshine considering that the industry was down about 20 percent overall. In the mood to crunch the numbers even more? Feel free to hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Looking Way Up: Ford posts 33% sales gain in 2009, 15% market share

Looking Way Up: Ford posts 33% sales gain in 2009, 15% market share originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #151: With Eddie Alterman of Car and Driver

Dan Roth — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:50:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, SEMA Show, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Audi, BMW, Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, Subaru, Earnings/Financials, UAW/Unions, Celebrities

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Abuelsamid, Lieberman, Roth and Shunk. Sounds like a law firm, but it's this week's podcast crew. Car and Driver editor-in-chief Eddie Alterman bravely wades into the pool and joins us for Episode #151 of the Autoblog Podcast, as well.

We spend a goodly amount of time going over what's in all five garages this week, before picking up actual topics. Once into news, we move through the Honda Accord Crosstour's pricing and impending launch, Ford's profitable quarter and union dealings, Edmunds' dust-up with the White House, and wrap with what might be cool at the crazy automotive cavalcade that is SEMA. It's an hour and twenty minutes of rollicking good times, so let us know what you think by dropping us an email at Podcast at Autoblog dot com, reviewing the show in iTunes, filling out our survey, or even leaving us a voicemail on our Google Voice line 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763). Thanks for listening, we'll see you next week!

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #151: With Eddie Alterman of Car and Driver

Autoblog Podcast #151: With Eddie Alterman of Car and Driver originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Ford to increase production by 10% in third quarter

Chris Shunk — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

General Motors and Chrysler are knee deep in bankruptcy proceedings, with many plants closed for weeks on end. With Ford's domestic competition embroiled in financial distress, the Blue Oval has a unique opportunity to grab market share. Ford has experienced share growth for six of the past seven months, and it plans a larger assault on sales increases in the third quarter. As such, FoMoCo plans on upping its Q3 production by 10% to capitalize on the situation.

The Dearborn, MI-based automaker plans to increase production to 460,000 units from Q3 2008's total of 418,000 cars and trucks. While many calls have been trumpeted to increase car sales because customers want more fuel efficient products, Ford is actualy decreasing its car production from 184,000 units to 150,000. The big volume increase falls squarely into the truck category. The move to increase truck production is a gamble for Ford, considering the fact that gas prices are inching upward. Truck demand could see a shot in the arm, though, as construction work from the $788 billion stimulus plan starts to take effect.

Despite the fact that Ford is taking full advantage of the situation at Chrysler and GM, the automaker insists that it isn't merely dancing on its long-time competitor's graves. Ford President Mark Fields told The Wall Street Journal that he feels for his competitors, but "This is not a case of 'Gee, let's stick it to them.' We have been watching our inventory levels and we've seen our market share grow. This is really just us working our plan."

If that plan includes taking share from ailing GM and Chrysler, the Blue Oval seems to be okay with that. We're guessing they'd be just as happy to take share from Honda or Toyota.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

REPORT: Ford to increase production by 10% in third quarter originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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