DETROIT — Ford Motor Co.’s U.S. light-vehicle sales fell 4.7 percent in the third quarter despite strong performances for its Ranger and F-Series pickups.
The automaker sold 549,134 light vehicles in the quarter. It said retail sales fell 2 percent and that fleet accounted for 14 percent of total sales, which indicates fleet volume declined 20 percent amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
F-Series sales rose 3.5 percent in the quarter to 221,647. The strong F-Series volume came as Ford dealerships prepare to start receiving the next-generation F-150 in November.
Brands: Ford, down 4.8%; Lincoln, down 1.4%
Notable nameplates: F-Series, up 3.5%; Mustang, down 18%; Ranger, up 8.2%; Explorer, up 74%; Escape, down 23%; Transit, down 11%; Lincoln Aviator, up 222%; Navigator, down 16%
Incentives: $4,325 per vehicle in September, down 6.1% from a year earlier, ALG says.
Average transaction price: $43,469 in September, up 7.4% from a year earlier, according to ALG.
Inventory: 63-day supply, or roughly 481,000 vehicles, about 6,000 vehicles fewer than in August.
Quote: “Despite the challenging pandemic environment, our retail unit sales were down only 2 percent and we had our best third quarter of pickup truck sales since 2005,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford’s vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service. “F-Series finished the quarter on a high note with September sales up 17.2 percent with over 76,000 F-Series pickups sold. This is a testament to our winning product portfolio and the performance of our great dealers.”
Did you know? Ford will launch three vehicles in the fourth quarter: The redesigned F-150, new Bronco Sport crossover and new Mustang Mach-E crossover.