The year 2013 will go down in history as one of the most lucrative for the Ford Motor Company. But it’s important to remember that the automaker’s financial success is the result of impressive sales results, and The Blue Oval is looking to retain its title as the best-selling vehicle brand in the United States for the fourth year in a row, with over 2.4 million Ford vehicles sold in 2013. The results are impressive in and of themselves, but also widen Ford’s lead over Toyota while posting healthy gains in several key vehicles and geographic segments.
“The great news is that we are not overly reliant on any one segment – we’re seeing double-digit sales growth in cars, trucks and utilities,” said John Felice, vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service. “The Ford brand has had more retail share growth than any other brand in the country, with our most significant gains coming from import-dominated coastal markets. With 16 launches next year, we’re looking to keep our sales momentum going.”
In 2012, Ford outsold Toyota by 329,677 vehicles. And although 2013 sales aren’t in the books just yet, The Blue Oval’s lead over Toyota has widened to 396,041 vehicles through November, illustrating the widening of its lead over the second most-popular brand.
Impressive Retail Sales Growth
Notably, retail sales of the Ford brand are up 15 percent through November 2013, while overall (retail plus fleet) brand sales are up 12 percent, illustrating that retail sales are making up a growing portion of sales in general. What’s more impressive is that Ford is making the biggest gains from the traditionally import-dominated western and southeastern regions of the U.S., with retail sales up 23 percent in the West and total sales up 18 percent in the Southeast.
Ford also noted that it expects retail sales to surpass 1.7 million in 2013, marking the automaker’s best retail sales performance in six years. Out of those 1.7 million sold retail units, 600,000 are passenger cars — the highest sales volume for the segment since 2000.
Impressive In All Segments
From the globally-successful subcompact Fiesta to the full-size F-Series pickup trucks, Ford is selling cars and taking names. The Fiesta, for instance, will set a new U.S. sales record in 2013 by selling over 70,000 vehicles. The midsize Fusion, meanwhile, will post its best year ever, with sales expected to exceed 290,000 vehicles.
The Blue Oval is also experiencing strong growth in the sale of utility vehicles, securing the title of the best-selling utility brand for the third straight year, and outselling the second-place brand (Chevrolet) by over 30 percent. To note, Ford utility vehicle sales are up 10.3 percent to 621,652 units, with the Escape being projected to sell over 300,000 units — its best-ever year since launching in 1999. Meanwhile, sales of the Ford Explorer are up about 15 percent. Curiously, Ford says that the Explorer is expected to be the “best-selling midsize utility vehicle in the United States” in 2013, but we all know that the model is a full-sizer. Nevertheless, 2013 will be the best year for Ford utility vehicle sales since 2004.
And while the Ford of the past may have been reliant on trucks and SUVs, this is not the case today: sales of Ford brand hybrid vehicles are expected to exceed 80,000 vehicles in 2013, which is nearly triple the total in 2012. The results make 2013 Ford’s best-ever hybrid vehicle sales year. Impressively, the Ford C-MAX hybrid lineup is drawing nearly half of its customers from import brands.
And last, but most certainly not least, Ford’s F-Series will once again be the best-selling vehicle in America for the 32nd year in a row, and the country’s best-selling truck for the 37th straight year. Enjoying an improved U.S. economy and an increase in home construction, the F-Series was responsible for 688,810 sales through November.
Here’s Erich Merkle, Ford U.S. Sales Analyst, with a recap:
The Motrolix Take
Selling tons of great class-leading cars, trucks, and utilities at a healthy profit. That is exactly what this business is about. Congratulations to Ford for a great 2013!
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