Ford Motor March U.S. Sales Increase 3%

(RTTNews) - Automaker Ford Motor Co. (F) reported Tuesday that U.S. vehicles sales for the month of March increased 3 percent from last year, boosted by double-digit sales growth for Lincoln brand vehicles as well as improved sales of Fusion passenger car and F-Series pick-up truck. Retail sales grew 3 percent for best March retail results in eight years. Sales for passenger cars, utility vehicles and trucks improved year-over-year.

"March sales turned noticeably higher mid-month and finished strong. Fusion set an all-time record in March, as overall retail sales in the West continued to expand at the fastest rate in the nation - including California being up 32 percent. F-Series also had a very strong month, as did Lincoln MKZ," said John Felice, vice president of U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.

Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford, the second largest U.S. automaker, said it sold 244,167 vehicles in the U.S. in March, up 3.4 percent from 236,160 vehicles sold in the same month last year. Retail sales grew 3 percent to 166,030 vehicles from a year ago.

Meanwhile, Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler Group LLC, the third-largest U.S. automaker owned by Italy-based Fiat SpA (FIATY), reported a 13 percent increase in total U.S. sales to 193,815 units from last year. General Motors Co. (GM), the largest U.S. Automaker, is scheduled to report March sales figures later in the day.

Sales of Ford brand vehicles increased 2.6 percent to 235,198 units, and sales of Lincoln brand vehicles grew 31.4 percent to 8,969 units from last year, with the all-new Lincoln MKZ sales surging 71.7 percent for a best-ever record sales month.

Ford passenger car sales rose 2.6 percent year-over-year to 86,791 units in March, and truck sales grew 4.1 percent to 86,378 units from last year. Ford utility vehicle sales also improved 3.6 percent to 70,998 units from a year ago.

Ford brand sales were led by truck sales that grew 4.1 percent year-over-year to 86,378 vehicles. Sales of Ford's F-Series pick-up truck, America's best-selling truck for 35 years in a row and America's best-selling vehicle, car or truck, for 30 straight years, grew 5.1 percent to 70,940 units in March, topping the 70,000-vehicle mark for the first time.

Ford small car sales edged up 0.5 percent to 81,705 vehicles, with Ford Mustang sales growing 21 percent and fuel-efficient small car Ford Fusion sales improving 8.8 percent to set an all-time monthly record since it was introduced in 2005.

Meanwhile, March sales of Ford's small car Focus declined 3.8 percent, Ford Fiesta sales decreased 2 percent, and Ford Taurus sales dropped 18.8 percent from last year. C-MAX sales also plunged 39.1 percent and Police Interceptor Sedan sales declined 4.2 percent from last year.

Ford utility vehicle sales grew 3.2 percent to 67,115 vehicles, with Ford Explorer sales growing 1.4 percent, and Ford Edge sales improving 5.1 percent from last year. Ford Expedition sales also grew 21.2 percent, Ford Flex sales increased 15.3 percent and Ford Police Interceptor sales rose 45.2 percent, while Ford Escape sales edged down 0.8 percent from a year ago.

For the year-to-date three-month period, Ford's U.S. vehicles sales decreased 2.6 percent to 582,758 units from 598,483 units in the same period last year, with Ford brand vehicle sales decreasing 3.7 percent, while Lincoln brand vehicle sales grew 35.9 percent.

In Tuesday's regular trading session, F is currently trading at $16.11, up $0.50 or 3.24% on a volume of 26.91 million shares.