Ford Motor, an iconic player in the automotive landscape, witnessed a significant year-over-year decline in U.S. sales for February, amidst ongoing challenges in the internal combustion vehicle segment. Despite this setback, hybrid sales showed remarkable growth, demonstrating a shift in consumer preferences towards more eco-friendly options. In detail, total U.S.
sales for Ford plummeted by 8.9% last month, amounting to 158,675 vehicles sold. This decline was largely attributed to a dramatic 24% decrease in the sales of sport utility vehicles, which fell to 64,148 units. Furthermore, car sales saw a staggering decline of approximately 32%, totaling 2,792 units, while truck sales fared comparatively better, rising by 7.7% to 91,735 units. When examining the different categories more closely, it is evident that sales of internal combustion engine vehicles experienced a notable decrease of nearly 13%, landing at 135,992 units.
Conversely, hybrid vehicle sales experienced an impressive uptick of 27.5%, reaching 15,357 units. Moreover, sales of electric vehicles continued to advance positively, showing a growth of 15% during the same period. Reflecting on the previous year’s performance, in the same timeframe of 2024, Ford had reported a 7.5% increase in internal combustion sales year-over-year.
Hybrid and electric sales had surged by 31.5% and nearly 81%, respectively, indicating a robust consumer shift towards alternative fuel vehicles. Moreover, Ford’s shares showed a slight increase of 1.2% during midday trade, signaling a tempered optimism in the market in response to the company's performance.
The renowned automaker also saw its F-Series truck sales gain approximately 14%, although it’s worth noting that sales of the F-150 Lightning electric truck experienced a decline of nearly 15%. Transitioning to van sales, the Transit van saw a modest increase of 3.5%, while e-Transit sales impressively more than doubled. Diving deeper into the performance of Ford SUVs, the Explorer model saw a significant drop, with sales tumbling about 23% to 15,071 units.
In contrast, the Bronco Sport witnessed a decline of 6.3%. However, there were notable gains in sales across other models, including the Escape, Bronco, and the Mustang Mach-E. This mixed performance underscores the shifting dynamics in the automotive market. Overall, as consumers increasingly gravitate toward hybrid and electric vehicles, Ford is presented with both challenges and opportunities in adapting its offerings to meet evolving demands and preferences within the automotive industry..