Cars and Drivers

Ford December Sales Show Small Gain on Retail Sales Jump

Paul Ausick

Published: January 4, 2017 11:55 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 4:10 pm

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) on Wednesday reported a U.S. sales increase of 0.3% year over year in December, to 239,854 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, compared with December 2015 sales of 239,242. Truck sales rose 3.2% for the month, and sales of F-Series pickups increased by 2.7%. Retail sales rose 5% in December to their best total since 2004.

Total sales compare to an estimate of 233,697 by analysts at Edmunds.com. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) had estimated Ford’s December sales at 232,000 at an average transaction price of $39,160, down 2.4% year over year in sales and down 0.6% compared with November’s average selling price. KBB transaction prices do not include applied consumer incentives.

The company said its overall average transaction prices rose $1,600 month over month.

Sales of the Ford F-Series pickups rose 2.7% in December to 87,512 units. In November Ford sold 72,089 F-Series trucks following an October sales total of 65,542. For the full year, F-Series pickup sales were up 5.2% to 820,799 units. The F-150 model extended its reign as the top-selling pickup to 40 years and its chart-topper position as the country’s best-selling vehicle to 35 years.

Truck sales comprised about 46.6% of all Ford sales in December, and the F-Series pickups accounted for about 36.5% of total December sales. For the full year, truck sales accounted for 41.2% of total sales and the F-Series racked up 31.4% of Ford’s total 2016 sales.

Sales of the company’s sport utility vehicles (SUVs) posted a year-over-year increase of 4.6% in December, and sales were up 4.3% for the full year.

Edge sales improved by 23.7% in the month and were 8.4% higher year over year. The Expedition saw a sales increase of 29.7% compared with December of 2015, and full-year Expedition sales were up 44.4%. Explorer sales rose 0.7% for the month but were down 3.6% year to date.

Sales of the Lincoln brand rose 17.8% year over year in December, as sales of Lincoln cars jumped 28.1% on sales of the all-new Lincoln Continental. Car sales totaled 4,710 units in the month and utility vehicle sales totaled 8,081 units. SUV sales rose 12.5% year over year in December and were up 11.9% for the full year.

Ford was not a favorite of investors or analysts in 2016. The U.S. market is growing slowly, and the company’s market share in China is small.

Ford’s stock traded up more than 4% late Wednesday morning, at $13.19 in a 52-week range of $11.02 to $14.22.