Ford's Overall Sales Climb While EV Numbers Drop

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Ford has invested billions in its electrification efforts, but the automaker might not see a return on that money for quite some time. Though it reported a significant jump in sales in the second quarter of this year, the company’s EV sales have fallen slightly.


Ford reported second-quarter sales growth of 9.9 percent from a year before and noted that year-to-date sales were up 10 percent. At the same time, Ford’s EV sales declined by 2.8 percent, driven by a more than 21 percent decline in Mustang Mach-E sales and a 3.8 percent drop in E-Transit numbers.


If EVs aren’t driving Ford sales, what is? If you guessed trucks, you’d be right. The Blue Oval’s truck sales jumped 34 percent in the second quarter and almost 25 percent from the first quarter of the year. Ford moved 246,155 trucks in the second quarter, outselling all of its rivals and helping it retain the title of the best-selling truck maker in the United States.


Though Ford truck sales jumped 26.2 percent, the company’s SUVs also saw double-digit increases. The automaker said that the supply of the Mustang Mach-E is improving and noted that F-150 Lightning inventory is on the rebound following a battery fire issue that temporarily halted production.


Ford’s sales report isn’t that surprising, given the state of EV infrastructure in this country and the additional costs of buying electric. The F-150 Lightning is an impressive electric truck, but it’s significantly more expensive than a comparable gas-powered F-150, making it a tough sell in many parts of the country. General Motors is in a similar boat, though it also reported a strong sales gain of 19 percent during the same time. 


[Image: Ford]


Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.

Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

More by Chris Teague

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 27 comments
  • Carlson Fan Carlson Fan on Jul 10, 2023

    "The F-150 Lightning is an impressive electric truck,"


    Really? Explain that one. There isn't one thing in that whole truck that I find innovative which explains the dismal performance. They basically took and F150 chassis and stuck some electric motors and a big heavy battery on it. Have you looked at the pictures of what's underneath some of the pretty plastic covers. Looks like a hot mess of engineering to me. The word "ugly" comes to mind.


    They will never sell these over-priced under performing road disasters in any numbers. Start over with a clean slate and build an EV PU aimed at the WT market. With current battery tech,. & charging infrastructure that is the only market worth pursuing right now.

    • VoGhost VoGhost on Jul 11, 2023

      Ford is doing exactly that. The Lightening is just a stopgap until they've finished engineering the new model.


  • Doug brockman Doug brockman on Jul 10, 2023

    I have no clue

    but if its EV like Tesla reflect that stacked against the sales of cumulative ICE vehicles its a meaningless drop in the bucket

    • VoGhost VoGhost on Jul 11, 2023

      The past is in the past. Today, the best selling vehicle in the world is the Tesla Model Y. America is back, baby!


  • Jeffrey Elon Musk is a questionable leader. His leadership style doesn't build trust with his employees and it slows innovation and development. His focus should be on people, product, and customers not himself. The competition in this area is fierce and Tesla's products look tired and repetitive their sytle language is no longer innovative or industry first.
  • Joe65688619 Looks like they at least have the same button controls for HVAC and radio as my RDX. Glad to see the've done away with the touchpad. But it's hard to see how the MDX will successfully compete with the Grand Highlander (or the ZDX vs. the Lyric, for that matter, even though they share the drivetrain.) The RDX/ZDX/MDX look too much alike - maybe Mazda can get away with the 50/70/90, but when I drive by an Acura dealership I see too many vehicles that look pretty much the same (and pretty much the same as they have for close to a decade now).
  • Redapple2 F1- crash at tunnel entrance when douche wipes out team mate ? GOLD!
  • Redapple2 I turned off indy after the 7 th yellow (and 2nd or was it the 3rd time they couldnt make it 2 laps laps more before another crash (it was like a demolition derby)). I wanted to tune in the last 20 laps my remote got confiscated. Monaco> why does that Princess look so spaced out all the time?
  • Redapple2 Modern faux retro styling? I m beginning to HATE it. Was the PT Cruiser the first - 20 some years ago. Next, my new Land Rover in 2006 was in the shop 3x in the first year. Almost came to blows with the service manager when they wouldnt admit to a defect and wanted me to pay $1200 on something. (an 8 month old car mind you). 3- what s with the smaller square tail lights next to the bigger square tail lights? Cheap gimmicky styling flair? I truly cant stand Land Rovers any more. I ll buy a Yukon Denali from evil gm Vampire before I buy one of these.
Next