Cars and Drivers

F-Series Leads Ford April Sales Higher as SUV Sales Lag

Paul Ausick

Published: May 3, 2016 12:05 pm

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 9:56 am

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) on Friday reported a U.S. sales increase of 4% in April, to 231,316 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, compared with April 2015 sales of 222,498. Truck sales rose 14.8% for the month, and sales of F-Series pickups rose nearly 13%.

Total sales compare to an estimate of 231,577 by analysts at Edmunds. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) estimated Ford’s April sales at 236,000 at an average transaction price of $36,541, down 0.5% month over month, and up 2.1% compared with April of last year. KBB transaction prices do not include applied consumer incentives.

Sales of the Ford F-Series pickups rose 12.6% in April to 70,774. In March Ford sold 73,884 F-Series trucks, following a February sales total of 60,697. Ford noted that this best month for the the F-Series in 11 years and second consecutive month with sales topping 70,000 units.

Truck sales comprised about 41% of all Ford sales in April, and the F-Series pickups accounted for nearly 31% of total sales in April. Both totals are a few points higher than the March percentages.

Sales of the company’s sport utility vehicles (SUVs) posted a year-over-year gain of 4.4%, compared with a year-over-year increase of 16% in March. Escape sales fell 7.2% and Edge sales tumbled 12.3%. The Expedition saw a sales increase of 46.7% and Explorer sales rose 22.3% year over year..

Sales of the all-new Transit and Transit Connect totaled 17,691 units in April, up 31.8% and down 14.2%, respectively, year over year. For the year to date, Transit sales were up 49.1% and Transit Connect sales were down 12%.

Sales of the Lincoln brand rose 20.2% year over year in April as sales of Lincoln utility vehicles rose by 52.8%. Car sales totaled 2,791 units in the month and utility vehicle sales totaled 6,985 units. Car sales fell 21.7% year over year.

The stock traded down about 0.8% midday Tuesday, at $13.51 in a 52-week range of $10.44 to $15.84.