Ford Sales Are Down Despite Hybrid Sales Record

Ford announced its US sales for April, and while overall sales are down, numbers were bolstered by the best hybrid sales month ever for the automaker. Lead by the F-150 hybrid and Maverick hybrid, the company sold 17,997 hybrids in April. That was up 59.5% over the same time last year, with 8,292 F-150 hybrid sales marking an increase of 93.6% over March.

Consumers are hungry for improved fuel economy in usable packages, which makes hybrids a solid bet, but they’re not a new venture for Ford. Hybrids have been a part of the lineup since the 2004 Ford Escape hybrid and Mercury Mariner hybrid, so the recent sales bump is quite significant.

Electrification Leading The Way

The current F-150 hybrid sales trend makes it the best-selling full-size hybrid pickup in the US to date with 19,365 units, besting the second place Tundra hybrid at 17,102 units. Neither hold a candle to the Maverick hybrid, as this model is the best-selling hybrid pickup in America this year with 26,601 trucks sold – a 73.2% increase over the same period last year that shows, despite recalls, buyers can’t get enough of Ford’s tiniest truck.

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Adding to this hybrid sales surge are the company’s EV sales, which rose 129% compared to the same time last year with 8,019 units. So far this year, the company has sold 28,242 EVs across the board, bolstered by increases in April sales of the Mustang Mach-E (up 205%), F-150 Lightning (up 56.6%) and E-Transit (up 85.7%). Even Lincoln got in on the action with sales up 15.8% on the new Nautilus, 47% of which were for the Nautilus hybrid. Great news for the company that recently had to cut F-150 Lightning production due to declining sales.

The Bigger Picture Isn’t As Rosy

Unfortunately, all of these electrified sales are just a silver lining in a storm cloud, as the company’s overall sales declined 2.4% from the same time last year, dropping from 184,002 to 179,588 with the caveat that there was one fewer sales day this year. The drop mainly came from a decline in sales of F-Series trucks and SUVs, including Bronco, Bronco Sport, and Escape.

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OFFICIAL: Ford Delays New Electric Pickup And Three-Row SUV

Ford delays EV production for its all-new pickup and three-row SUV as it pivots focus to launching hybrids for every combustion car in the lineup.

Along with sales being slightly down, the company’s electric car division managed to lose $1.3 billion, which is roughly double what the company lost during the same quarter in 2023. A cooling of the EV industry is most likely to blame as Ford has attempted to sweeten the deal on its electric offerings with discounts. A few high-profile crashes connected to the company’s hands-free driving software, BlueCruise, may also have scared buyers away.

Now the company is delaying an upcoming electric pickup and SUV. Instead, it’s focusing on hybrid models for each vehicle in its existing lineup. This is a pivot similar to what rivals like GM have announced.