Ford January sales dip 7%, Lincoln up 43%

[PREMiERdrum]

Ford Posts Weather-Impacted January Sales; Lincoln Up 43 Percent – Best Lincoln Sales Performance in Four Years

• Continuing its momentum from last year, Lincoln sales increase 43 percent on MKZ and MKX; best January sales in four years
• Ford Motor Company January U.S. sales totaled 154,644 vehicles, compared with 166,501 vehicles last year – a 7 percent decline; retail sales totaled 113,721 vehicles – down 5 percent

 

http://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2014/02/03/january2014sales.html

 

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 3, 2014 – Ford Motor Company January sales of 154,644 total vehicles are down 7 percent from a year ago, while retail sales of 113,721 vehicles are off 5 percent. Ford Mustang and Lincoln brand vehicles posted gains in the first month of 2014.

“Given the difficult weather in our largest sales regions, we are fortunate to have held in at retail as well as we did,” said John Felice, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service. “In areas where the weather was good, such as in the West, sales were up. The poor weather also had an impact on the timing of some of our fleet deliveries. A bright spot is Lincoln, which had its strongest sales in four years.”

Sales of Mustang totaled 3,881 vehicles in January. This represents an 8 percent increase over last year and Mustang’s best beginning-of-year performance since 2010.

Lincoln sales are up 43 percent, with 5,973 vehicles sold in January. This represents Lincoln’s best performance for the month in four years. The increase came from Lincoln MKZ, with sales of 2,122 vehicles, up 368 percent, and Lincoln MKX, with 2,479 vehicles sold, a 36 percent year-over-year gain.

Ford Motor Company fleet sales were off 14 percent in January, as winter weather hampered the ability to fill a portion of fleet orders.

 

 

Link to sales tables:https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/2014/02/03/january14sales.pdf

Edited February 3, 2014 by PREMiERdrum

[jpd80]

MKZ 2,122 453%

MKS 635 -30.1%

Lincoln Cars 2,757 102.4%

MKX 2,479 35.5%

MKT 362 -11.9%

Navigator 375 -36.3%

Lincoln Utilities 3,216 13.7%

Lincoln Brand 5,973 42.5%

Edited February 3, 2014 by jpd80

[Bryan1]

F-Series 46,536 -0.7%

Silverado 28,926 -18.4%

Ram 25,071 +25%

Sierra 11,118 -13.5%

[timf]

The bad weather appears to have impacted Ford's car sales the most. Utility sales were generally flat and just edged out car sales. I wonder when was the last time this was the case.

[Bryan1]

Toyota also blamed the weather.

 

“January was off to a solid start, but the weather condition slowed industry sales in key markets late in the month,” said Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general manager.

 

http://pressroom.toyota.com/

[fordmantpw]

F-Series 46,536 -0.7%

Silverado 28,926 -18.4%

Ram 25,071 +25%

Sierra 11,118 -13.5%

 

That's quite the impressive showing for Ram. It is inching right up there with Sliverado!

[mustang84isu]

Does anyone know when the refreshed Focus will be released in North America? It seems like Focus sales have been weak for the last 6 months or so.

I'm surprised the F-Series held up as well as it did. It's been so frigid and snowy here in the Midwest that I was expecting sales to take more of a hit.

 

Despite larger Focus and Explorer drops, overall most Ford models seem to have held their own, especially when you look at how bad some of GM's declines were.

[SoonerLS]

That's quite the impressive showing for Ram. It is inching right up there with Sliverado!

It's also surprisingly low for the GM twins--is there some kind of supply constraint, or do people just not want Chebbie/GMC trucks?

[fordmantpw]

It's also surprisingly low for the GM twins--is there some kind of supply constraint, or do people just not want Chebbie/GMC trucks?

 

I think it's the latter, and I think that is why Ram sales have gone up. Ford/GM is the big brand war between brand-loyal pickup buyers. Ford buyers will NOT buy GM trucks and vice-versa. Ram has always been a 'has-been' and GM owners would buy Ram before Ford, as would Ford owners buy Ram before a GM product. I think that's what you are seeing here. Ram is benefiting from the horrendous redesign of the GM twins.

[PREMiERdrum]

It's also surprisingly low for the GM twins--is there some kind of supply constraint, or do people just not want Chebbie/GMC trucks?

 

They're priced too high and too little incentives to compete against Ram and Ford. They're priced like they're the "in demand" new truck, but they come off as an also-ran of last year's model.

[akirby]

I really wish they'd stop with the "MKZ sales up 368%" at only 2,122 units. It's embarrasing.

[jpd80]

I really wish they'd stop with the "MKZ sales up 368%" at only 2,122 units. It's embarrasing.

Agree, its purely a statistic that puts the best spin on last years disastrous MKZ launch.

Data reporting of year on year trending that becomes nonsense when an exception occurs.

 

Sales of MKS, MKT and Navigator all contracted while MKZ and MKX both had sales above 2,000,

MKC can't come quick enough....

Edited February 3, 2014 by jpd80

[Edstock]

I really wish they'd stop with the "MKZ sales up 368%" at only 2,122 units. It's embarrasing.

 

IMHO, it's the "MKS 635 -30.1%" that's embarrassing.

[AlRozzi]

 

IMHO, it's the "MKS 635 -30.1%" that's embarrassing.

Now that the current MKS is nearing the end of its life cycle it has really grown on me. I like the looks of it quite a lot all the sudden.

 

Should I be embarrassed to admit this?

[bzcat]

F-Series 46,536 -0.7%

Silverado 28,926 -18.4%

Ram 25,071 +25%

Sierra 11,118 -13.5%

 

 

 

That's quite the impressive showing for Ram. It is inching right up there with Sliverado!

 

If Ram keeps up the heat next month on Chevy, look for GM to launch the mother of all pickup trucks incentive wars to keep Chevy #2.

 

There is no moral victory is keeping the overall #2 when you combine Chevy and GMC... just like there was no moral victory when the GM twins combined outsold F-150 - Ford still claimed victory (Remember those days? Seems like so long ago). Likewise, Chrysler will consider Ram even getting close to #2 a significant victory, and GM will consider that a complete disaster.

[Edstock]

Now that the current MKS is nearing the end of its life cycle it has really grown on me. I like the looks of it quite a lot all the sudden.

 

Should I be embarrassed to admit this?

 

IMHO, it was always alright, but I like the latest iteration the best. The S just doesn't catch, but IMHO, it's far from bad, especially compared to some of the competition. The previous Focus sold. Go figure.

[Anthony]

 

 

 

If Ram keeps up the heat next month on Chevy, look for GM to launch the mother of all pickup trucks incentive wars to keep Chevy #2.

 

There is no moral victory is keeping the overall #2 when you combine Chevy and GMC... just like there was no moral victory when the GM twins combined outsold F-150 - Ford still claimed victory (Remember those days? Seems like so long ago). Likewise, Chrysler will consider Ram even getting close to #2 a significant victory, and GM will consider that a complete disaster.

 

 

Wait until the Colorado / Canyon launch and suck some numbers off of the fullsizers. The RAM being number two might not just be a pipe dream.

[Hugh]

Does anyone know when the refreshed Focus will be released in North America? It seems like Focus sales have been weak for the last 6 months or so.

I'm expecting it to appear at Geneva in March with it hitting the lots in the fall.

[jasonj80]

 

 

Wait until the Colorado / Canyon launch and suck some numbers off of the fullsizers. The RAM being number two might not just be a pipe dream.

I was thinking the same thing, though RAM's are in the paper for $109 a month on a 27 month lease I'm sure is pushing some of those sales, even if they end up being $200 a month that is still $100/$200 less a month then you're going to be to get into a Ford or Chevy. Chrysler in general has some really low leases currently.

[akirby]

$109/month for 27 months? How much down payment - $15K?

[RichardJensen]

This quote is interesting: "Ford Motor Company fleet sales were off 14 percent in January, as winter weather hampered the ability to fill a portion of fleet orders."

 

One would expect that those orders will be filled this month, possibly leading to a significant YOY increase in Feb. sales.

 

And, you know, a further reminder that individual month-to-month and year-over-year figures aren't that meaningful.

[jpd80]

This quote is interesting: "Ford Motor Company fleet sales were off 14 percent in January, as winter weather hampered the ability to fill a portion of fleet orders."

 

One would expect that those orders will be filled this month, possibly leading to a significant YOY increase in Feb. sales.

 

And, you know, a further reminder that individual month-to-month and year-over-year figures aren't that meaningful.

And in the sales call, it was revealed that Ford included the January 2 sales in December's figures.

The positive I take out of this is MKZ and MKX still selling above 2,000 when all other Lincoln model sales fell.

 

I think Merril Lynch rep asked his chestnut sub-prime lending question of Ford credit and was informed

the level was around 5 to 6% which hasn't changed since before restructuring, so all is well.

 

ML Rep then asked when they would see inventory building ahead of plant change overs but John Felice was coy

and kept to the line of we build to the market so inventory where it is supposed to be....

 

Unlike Silverado change over, there will be be no F150 over build before DTP closes for 13 weeks.....

you watch the difference with the Ford product switches.

Edited February 4, 2014 by jpd80

[RichardJensen]

I think companies roll first sale day of the following month into the previous month, where the previous month ends on a Sunday.

[jpd80]

I think companies roll first sale day of the following month into the previous month, where the previous month ends on a Sunday.

OK that makes sense.

[jpd80]

Found the comment Richard was talking about re Fleet sales order delay:

 

John Felice Murphy - Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Got you. Okay. That's helpful. And the fleet vehicles -- the fleet sales that you think got delayed because of weather and your production, will those get caught up in the next month or two and how much of that 14% decline do you think is a result of the weather?

John Felice - Vice President, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service

Yeah. We had, John, we had -- we anticipate about 7,500 units that were planned for January production that again will catch-up, we expect those to come back in February till business and just because of some disruptions and in the plants that will be captured in the month of February.

 

Edited February 4, 2014 by jpd80