Cars and Drivers

Ford Sales Struggles Got Worse in December

Ford Mustang
Ford Motor Co.
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) on Monday posted a U.S. sales increase of 1.2% year-over-year in December, to 220,671 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, compared with December 2013 sales of 218,058. Sales of the company’s best-selling Escape compact SUV rose 4.7%, and sales of the Lincoln brand rose 21.4%. The full-size Explorer SUV saw sales rise 6.2%. Sales of the F-Series pickups slipped just 0.3% in December, as the all-new F-150 Series pickups are finally reaching dealer lots.

The sales totals were a clear miss and Ford stock is in for a beating Monday. Analysts at Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds.com were looking for sales of around 225,000.

Sales of Ford’s best-selling F-Series pickups were down 1.3% in 2014, from 763,402 a year ago to 753,851.

Other top-selling Ford vehicles, the Fusion and the Focus, experienced sales declines of 5.1% and 4.4%, respectively, in December. The bright spot for car sales was the all-new Mustang, which saw sales jump 66% to 9,511 units. For the year to date, Mustang sales are up 7.1% to 82,635, not an awful lot more than a good month’s pickup sales. Unfortunately for Ford, Mustang cannot carry the company.

Ford’s car sales fell 3.8% for the year. Utility vehicle sales were up 3.5% for the year, and truck sales were up 4% for the month and down 0.7% for the year.

The aluminum-bodied F-150 has been shipping to dealers for the past six weeks or so, and Ford’s U.S. marketing vice-president had this to say about the new pickups: “Demand for the all-new F-150 also is very high, and it now is the fastest-turning vehicle in Ford showrooms, averaging just five days on dealer lots in December.”

The new pickups are hugely important for Ford, but some of its other high-volume vehicles — Fusion, Focus, Escape and Explorer come to mind — have got to perform better as well. December was not a good ending to Ford’s 2014 sales year.

Ford’s shares traded lower by about 3.6% Monday morning, at $14.81 in a 52-week range of $13.26 to $18.12.

ALSO READ: Low Gas Prices Boost GM Sales 21% in December

Find a Qualified Financial Advisor (Sponsor)

Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.