F-Series dominates U.S. Auto Sales… Again. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – April 3, 2018 2018 Ford F-150 with the 3.0L V6 Power Stroke Turbo Diesel Ford dealers are now taking orders for the 2018 F-150 with all-new 3.0L V6 Power Stroke turbo diesel engine. Actual deliveries are slated to occur at any time. The all-new 3.0L V6 Power Stroke turbo diesel will be available for both 4x2 and 4x4 F-150 pickups. Retail customers can choose this engine option for 2018 F-150 Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum edition SuperCrew trucks with either a 5.5-foot or 6.5-foot bed configuration, and SuperCab trucks with a 6.5-foot bed configuration. For fleet customers who use their truck for work, the 3.0L V6 Power Stroke will be available on all F-150 trim levels with SuperCrew 5.5-foot or 6.5-foot bed configurations and SuperCab trucks with a 6.5 foot bed. Ford March 2018 U.S. Auto Sales Ford reported it sold 244,306 vehicles in the United States in March, up 3.4 percent over the 236,250 sold in March of 2017. Ford’s YTD sales of 599,581 were down 2.9 percent below the 617,302 sold through the same period of 2017. Ford March and 1Q Sales Highlights In March, SUVs and Pickups accounted for 78.4 percent of all vehicles sold. "Consumers continue to move out of cars and into SUVs," said Erich Merkle, Ford Corporate Sales Analyst. "They are not just the Baby Boomers but also older Millennials starting to form families and looking for SUVs with three rows.” Within the sales release, Ford reported it achieved the highest transaction prices of any full-line automaker at $36,300 per vehicle. The F-Series accounting for 35.6 percent of the bands March sales surely helped that result as F-Series transaction pricing increased by $1,700 to $46,800 per truck. F-Series on its own achieved its best March performance since 2000 with sales of 87,011 trucks, up 7.0 percent over the 81,330 sold in March of 2017. YTD sales of 214,191 were up 4.3 percent over the 205,281 sold through the same period of 2017. Top 10 March 2018 sales items of note: The well accepted Equinox continues to outsell the perennial leading CR-V. B and C-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: The Sonic had a poor showing into the end of last year but that has since subsided as discounts continue to move it back to a more prominent position in the B-segment. Remember it used to hold on to the #2 spot behind the Versa for months on end just a few years ago. The all-new and imho, best B-segment available, all-new 2018 Accent continues to flounder since its release. D and Utility-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: Other than the up and coming 5-series, there is a lot of blank ink in the D-Segment. The all-new Camry is holding its own while most of the segment continues to see sales declines as perspective purchasers continue to move to the CUV where double digit gains show across much of the top 10 in that segment. In the Crossover segment, Rogue has held onto its #1 position and #3 overall position through the1Q ahead of RAM pickups. That is saying something! Pickup-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: There really is no change other than the sheer volume of Pickups’ sold. The F-Series has outsold 12 of the top 18 manufactures by its lonesome. Electrified-Segment March 2018 sales items of note: With a slow January start, Ford has placed a lot of $s behind its Fusion Hybrid and its sales volume again dominates the HEV segment placing the strong RAV4 and fading Prius behind. The Camry Hybrid although not moving beyond its stagnant 5th spot within the HEV Top 10, the positive sales results bode well for continued success of the most efficient midsize available today. On the electric front, the Prius Prime PHEV now accounts for 41.8 percent of the Prius liftback sales. Given the lower cost and plug-in capability, is it any wonder? Tesla, Honda, FCA, and Kia do not supply HEV/PHEV/BEV monthly sales breakouts. U.S. Automobile March 2018 vs. March 2017 Market Share Comparison March 2018 Market Share items of note: GM market share was up an extremely strong 1.3 percent compared to March of 2017. On the downside, Ford was down .6 percent, Hyundai was down 0.8 percent, and Nissan was down a steep 1.1 percent. U.S. March 2018 Sales vs. March 2017 Sales Ranks and Results for the top 18 Automobile Manufacturers GM March 2018 Sales: 296,341 vehicles sold, up 15.7 percent above the 256,224 sold in March of 2017 Ford March 2018 Sales: 244,306 vehicles sold, up 3.4 percent above the 236,250 sold in March of 2017 Toyota March 2018 Sales: 222,782 vehicles sold, up 3.5 percent over the 215,224 sold in March of 2017 FCA March 2018 Sales: 216,063 vehicles sold, up 13.6 percent above the 190,254 sold in March of 2017 Nissan March 2018 Sales: 162,535 vehicles sold, down 3.7 percent below the 168,832 sold in March of 2017 Honda March 2018 Sales: 142,392 vehicles sold, up 3.8 percent above the 137,227 sold in March of 2017 Hyundai March 2018 Sales: 61,540 vehicles sold, down 11.2 percent below the 69,265 sold in March of 2017 Subaru March 2018 Sales: 58,097 vehicles sold, up 5.9 percent above the 54,871 sold in March of 2017 Kia March 2018 Sales: 50,645 vehicles sold, up 2.5 percent above the 49,429 sold in March of 2017 BMW March 2018 Sales: 35,842 vehicles sold, down 0.4 percent below the 36,002 sold in March of 2017 Mazda March 2018 Sales: 33,302 vehicles sold, up 35.7 percent above the 24,549 sold in March of 2017 VW March 2018 Sales: 32,548 vehicles sold, up 17.8 percent above the 27,635 sold in March of 2017 Mercedes-Benz March 2018 Sales: 31,484 vehicles sold, down 2.7 percent below the 32,352 sold in March of 2017 Audi March 2018 Sales: 20,090 vehicles sold, up 7.4 percent above the 18,705 sold in March of 2017 Mitsubishi March 2018 Sales: 14,319 vehicles sold, up 21.7 percent over the 11,766 sold in March of 2017 Jaguar/Land Rover March 2018 Sales: 14,232 vehicles sold, up 10.2 percent above the 12,918 sold in March of 2017 Volvo March 2018 Sales: 8,233 vehicles sold, up 53.7 percent above the 5,356 sold in March of 2017 Porsche March 2018 Sales: 4,756 vehicles sold, up 6.2 percent above the 4,479 sold in March of 2017 Manufacturer ranking Items of note: Hyundai moved back ahead of Subaru despite a double digit negative monthly result. BMW, Mazda, and VW moved ahead of Mercedes-Benz with Mazda and VW achieving double digit sales volumes gains in March. Audi has sold 20,000 U.S. vehicles for just the fourth time and first ever for a March result. March 2018 U.S. Automotive industry sales of 1.649 million was up 6.3 percent vs. the 1.551 million sold in March of 2017. On a Daily Selling Rate basis with 28 selling days in March 2018 vs, 27 in March of 2017, sales were still up a healthy 2.6 percent. 2018 YTD sales of 4.09 million is up .08 million or 2 percent over the 4.01 million sold through the same period of 2017. March 2018 automotive industry seasonally annual adjusted rate (SAAR) reached 16.8 million.
Ford of Canada – March 2018 Overall and Highlights Ford closed out the month and the first quarter as the top selling automotive brand in Canada, fueled by sales across the lineup. Ford of Canada March 2018 Vehicle Sales In March of 2018, Ford of Canada stated they sold March 26,066 vehicles, down 1.6 percent below the 26,487 they sold in March of 2017. YTD sales of 61,036 were down 2.7 percent below the 62,704 sold through the same period of 2017. March Truck and SUV sales of 23,048 outsold March car sales of 3,018 by a ratio of 7.63:1. Focus sales increase 21% Explorer sales increase 16% - Best March since 2003 Ford F-Series Super Duty sales increase 2% Canada March 2018 Sales vs. March 2017 Sales Ranks and Results for the top 7 Automobile Manufacturers GM Canada March Sales: 30,159 Vehicles Sold, Up 0.1 percent Ford of Canada March Sales: 26,066 Vehicles Sold, Down 1.6 Percent FCA Canada March Sales: 24,490 Vehicles Sold, Down 7.7 Percent Toyota Canada March Sales: 21,040 Vehicles Sold, Up 8.4 Percent Honda Canada March Sales: 17,538 Vehicles Sold, Down 8.5 Percent Nissan Canada March Sales: 15,192 Vehicles Sold, Down 3.9 Percent Hyundai Canada March Sales: 9,739 Vehicles Sold, Down 12.1 Percent
