Ford Motor Co. reported Monday that April sales declined 14% from the same month last year following the discontinuation of vehicles like the Escape, the end of federal plug-in vehicle incentives and decreased truck inventory from an aluminum shortage.
With increasing fuel prices from the Iran war, rising inflation and lower consumer sentiment, there are a lot of challenges facing the automotive industry. A forecasted 5.4% decrease in U.S. sales in April year-over-year across the industry by dealers services provider Cox Automotive Inc. was exacerbated by a pull-ahead in 2025 of sales spurred by fears over tariffs increasing prices. Ford in April 2025 also introduced an employee pricing discount campaign that same month to capture the opportunity.
On Friday, the Dearborn automaker reintroduced a similar employee pricing discount promotion, called “American Value for American Values” for the United States’ 250th anniversary, that will end July 6. That comes alongside other tailwinds like robust tax returns and the stock market again hitting record levels, according to Cox.
“We haven’t seen much changes in the industry yet around segmentation tied to gas, but as you know, it’s something we watch on a daily basis and and certainly look for any change in customer behavior,” Andrew Frick, president of Ford’s Ford Blue and Model e business units, said last week.
“What I will say is: I do think one of the reasons why,” he said, “is you look at our F-Series business as an example, where our truck business is with Maverick, and we have great hybrid offerings, and we continue to see customers choose F-150 gas, hybrid and even our (discontinued) electric Lightning. We have a really good portfolio to be able to handle a lot of their needs.”
Frick added that truck supply has improved from the winter after multiple fires last fall took out a hot mill at a major aluminum supplier in New York. That facility supposed to resume operation in May and ramp up production through the summer, executives said last week on an earnings call.
Ford sold 178,667 vehicles in April. F-Series trucks fell almost 15%. An expanded Explorer lineup contributed to a 1% increase in deliveries for the SUV. Mustang grew 18%, leading non-premium sport cars, according to Ford. Electric vehicles fell 25%, and hybrids fell 33% following discontinuation of the Escape that had both a hybrid and plug-in hybrid version. The Lincoln luxury brand fell 21%.
Expedition fell 39%. Mustang Mach-E declined 8.8%. Bronco Sport fell 12%, though it is maintaining a record year-to-date sales pace. Meanwhile, Bronco was up 19%, outselling the Jeep Wrangler by its largest margin since its return in 2020, according to Ford. Overall, Ford’s large SUVs are having their best start to a year in 25 years.
Ranger fell 25%, and Maverick dropped 30%. Transit grew 22%, but its electric version declined 47%.
At Lincoln, the Nautilus alone increased 7.7% to a record April. Aviator dropped 27%, and Navigator fell 42%. The Corsair was discontinued with the Escape as Ford retools Louisville Assembly Plant for its next-generation EV platform. An electric midsize truck launches there next year.
bnoble@detroitnews.com
@BreanaCNoble
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ford U.S. sales declined 14% in April. Here’s why
Reporting by Breana Noble, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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