The News Wheel
No Comments

Ford Gets Off to Hot Start with SUV Sales, ATP

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page
2015 Ford Edge EcoBoost

2016 Ford Edge

Where Ford’s overall sales may have been behind the automaker’s 2015 start, its predictions regarding the importance of SUVs to its business model look even more astute.

Ford’s SUV sales totaled 50,212 vehicles in January, up 3% year-over-year and good for the best opening-year number for utilities since 2004. Of those SUVs, the new Edge gained 26% year-over-year, which also bodes well for the automaker’s plan to add four new utility vehicles to the lineup over the next four years.

Additionally, the emphasis on higher-priced vehicles allowed Ford to increase its industry-leading average transaction price by nearly three times the rate of the industry’s growth.

“For Ford, overall transaction prices were up $1,800 in January [and] driven largely by strong customer demand, especially for our SUVs and F-Series pickups,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service.

Truck sales were flat, with a 5.2% year-over-year decline for the F-Series being offset by a 51% increase for the Transit and 36.8% increase for heavy trucks. Car sales were down 12.7% with only the Fusion (0.9%) and Taurus (33.7%) posting gains.

Ford brand sales totaled 166,546 units, and a strong month from Lincoln boosted the overall total to 173,723 vehicles.