Automakers will be releasing February sales numbers on Tuesday, March 1, and most industry analysts are expecting solid gains compared with February of 2015. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) has pegged volume growth for Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) at 12.4% on sales strength of its full-size pickups and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). KBB also estimates that Ford’s market share will increase year over year from 14.3% to 14.7%.
Analysts at Edmunds.com think that Ford will do even better, growing volume by 17.1% year over year in February and by nearly 22% compared with January 2016. The analysts also see Ford adding 1.2% to its market share in February, rising from 14.3% a year ago to 15.5%. Edmunds.com had this to say about the overall market:
An estimated 1,354,503 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in February for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 17.7 million … . The projected sales will be an 18.3 percent increase from January 2016, and a 7.9 percent increase from February 2015. The 17.7 million SAAR would mark the highest in the month of February since 2000.
KBB noted that 1.5 million units were sold in February 2000, the highest total ever for the month.
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Ford’s F-150 pickup was recently named best pickup truck by Consumer Reports magazine, which noted:
Top-notch crash-test results and the best predicted reliability of any domestic truck make the F-150 a solid workhorse and one of 2016’s 10 Top Picks.
Ford’s 3/4-ton F-250 Super Duty was also named as the longest-lasting vehicle in a recent ranking by iSeeCars.com, a consumer-oriented car-shopping site.
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