Ford’s new vehicle sales slow in August, in line with expectations

DETROIT – Ford Motor on Friday said its U.S. sales last month increased double-digits from a year earlier but were off about 4% from the prior month, as the company and auto industry continue to manage significant supply chain issues.

The Detroit automaker reported August sales of 158,088 new vehicles in the U.S., a 27% increase from August 2021, when the company’s production was significantly impacted by a shortage of semiconductor chips. Last month’s sales were down 3.6% compared to July, including an 8% decline in its F-Series pickup trucks.

Those sales were in line with analyst expectations, though. The company said its Ford brand was America’s best-selling brand for a second consecutive month.

Sales of Ford’s profitable F-Series pickups were off 10.7% through August compared with the prior year. The company has sold 6,842 models of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup to date as of Aug. 31, including 2,373 vehicles last month.

“F-Series was America’s best-selling truck, best-selling hybrid truck and best-selling electric truck with F-150 Lightning in August. Ford’s overall electric vehicle portfolio expanded four–fold in July, while conquesting from competitors at a rate over 60%,” Andrew Frick, Ford vice president of sales, distribution and trucks, said in a release.

Ford’s 2022 electric vehicle sales totaled more than 36,500 units through August. That included sales of about 5,900 vehicles in August, which was 23% lower than the prior month but up more than 300% from a year ago.

Year-to-date sales of all Ford’s vehicles, including its luxury Lincoln brand, totaled more than 1.2 million units through August, a 0.2% decrease from a year ago. At the end of last month, the automaker’s U.S. vehicle inventory, including dealer stock and in-transit vehicle, was about 259,000 units, up from 245,000 in July.