Ford's U.S. sales rose 10% in the second quarter

The automaker saw a surge in pickup truck deliveries as consumer and business demand remained strong.
Ford Motor said Thursday that its new-vehicle sales rose 10% in the three months from April to June, driven by strong demand for trucks.
The automaker sold 531,662 motor vehicles, up from 483,688 in the second quarter of last year, as sales of pickup trucks, delivery vans and heavy-duty trucks rose 26%. Rising truck sales more than offset a nearly 3% drop in electric vehicle sales.
Ford sold 14,843 battery-powered cars and trucks in during the quarter, compared to 15,273 a year earlier. The company had to slow production to upgrade assembly lines and increase capacity to manufacture more vehicles later this year.
The upgrade work level mainly affected the Mustang Mach-E, whose sales fell 21% in the second quarter. Ford also sold 4,466 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks during the quarter. That was more than double the previous year's total and the second-highest quarterly total since the truck went on sale.
Wednesday, General Motors, Honda , Nissan, Hyundai and Kia reported increases of 14% or more. Overall, automakers sold more than 4.1 million cars and trucks in the second quarter, according to Cox Automotive, a market research firm, a 16% increase from a year earlier. . The total, however, was about 400,000 fewer cars than the industry typically sold in the second quarter before the coronavirus pandemic.
Sales remain below their pre-pandemic levels as parts shortages have forced automakers to produce fewer vehicles for much of the past three years. The supply of hard-to-get computer chips has improved in recent months, allowing automakers to produce more of the vehicles consumers have been waiting to buy.
Technology Jul 9, 2023 0 19 Add to Reading List

The automaker saw a surge in pickup truck deliveries as consumer and business demand remained strong.

Ford Motor said Thursday that its new-vehicle sales rose 10% in the three months from April to June, driven by strong demand for trucks.

The automaker sold 531,662 motor vehicles, up from 483,688 in the second quarter of last year, as sales of pickup trucks, delivery vans and heavy-duty trucks rose 26%. Rising truck sales more than offset a nearly 3% drop in electric vehicle sales.

Ford sold 14,843 battery-powered cars and trucks in during the quarter, compared to 15,273 a year earlier. The company had to slow production to upgrade assembly lines and increase capacity to manufacture more vehicles later this year.

The upgrade work level mainly affected the Mustang Mach-E, whose sales fell 21% in the second quarter. Ford also sold 4,466 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks during the quarter. That was more than double the previous year's total and the second-highest quarterly total since the truck went on sale.

Wednesday, General Motors, Honda , Nissan, Hyundai and Kia reported increases of 14% or more. Overall, automakers sold more than 4.1 million cars and trucks in the second quarter, according to Cox Automotive, a market research firm, a 16% increase from a year earlier. . The total, however, was about 400,000 fewer cars than the industry typically sold in the second quarter before the coronavirus pandemic.

Sales remain below their pre-pandemic levels as parts shortages have forced automakers to produce fewer vehicles for much of the past three years. The supply of hard-to-get computer chips has improved in recent months, allowing automakers to produce more of the vehicles consumers have been waiting to buy.