Ford’s US Sales Free-Fall By 14% in March

While many at Ford would wish this were an April fool’s day joke, it isn’t; in March, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totalled 213,074 units, down 14 percent compared with a year ago. Total Ford Motor Company sales, including Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo, totalled 227,143, again down 14 percent versus March 2007.

The American carmaker blamed its poor March results to the crumbling SUV and truck sales. In March Ford Motor Company sold 146,228 SUVs and trucks, down from 175,491 last March (-16.7%). In terms of car sales, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar and Volvo sold 80,915 vehicles, down from 89,484 last year (-9,6%). -Continued

“This is a very challenging external environment, reflecting a seismic shift in consumer preferences,” said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president, marketing and Communications. “These conditions will likely persist in the near future. At Ford, we remain focused on executing our plan, which includes being profitable at lower volume and changed mix”

“It is crucial we continue to employ a disciplined process to gauge demand and plan production on a segment-by-segment and region-by-region basis,” said Farley.

Picture: Carscoop