An worker works at the 40 millionth Ford Motor Co. F-Collection truck at the meeting line on the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant on January 26, 2022 in Dearborn, Michigan.
Jeff Kowalsky | AFP | Getty Pictures
DETROIT – Ford Motor’s U.S. gross sales of recent cars declined 17% all the way through the primary quarter, together with a 26% slide final month, because it battles a world scarcity of semiconductor chips.
The automaker on Monday reported first-quarter gross sales of 432,132 cars, together with 159,328 gadgets in March. The ones figures have been in step with analyst expectancies.
Andrew Frick, Ford’s vp of gross sales, distribution and vehicles, stated the corporate skilled some sure indicators heading into the spring promoting season.
“Whilst the worldwide semiconductor chip scarcity continues to create demanding situations, we noticed development in March gross sales, as in-transit stock advanced 74% over February. F-Collection had a report 50,000 new retail orders in March, whilst a report 41% of our total retail gross sales got here from up to now positioned retail orders,” he stated in a observation.
Gross sales of Ford’s vehicles have been off 23% all the way through the primary quarter. Automobile gross sales have been down 49%, whilst SUV gross sales have been off simply 5.1%.
Gross sales of Ford’s extremely winning F-Collection pickups, together with the F-150 and its greater siblings, have been down 31% all the way through the primary quarter, together with a 47% decline in March. On advanced stock, Ford stated its SUV gross sales greater 39% when put next with February.
Automakers corresponding to Ford were managing a world scarcity of semiconductor chips for greater than a 12 months. The portions shortage has brought about sporadic shutdowns of vegetation and depleted new automobile inventories.
Ford is likely one of the final of the most important automakers to document its March and first-quarter gross sales. U.S. new-vehicle gross sales total for January via March most probably got here in underneath 3.3 million, down 14% from the primary quarter of 2021, trade analysts say.
Ford touted call for for its latest cars, such because the Bronco and Bronco Game SUVs and the Maverick small pickup truck. March Maverick gross sales greater 115% from February, with the typical automobile promoting off a broker lot simply 4 days after arrival.
