With significant discounts, including employee pricing, Ford had a record US sales month in April. Despite higher truck and SUV sales, electric vehicle sales dropped by nearly 40%. Now, Ford is ending another big project that was expected to help it cut costs and compete with leaders like Tesla.
Ford ends another project as sales slip
Ford sold 208,675 vehicles in the US last month, a 16% increase from the same period last year and a new April record. Electrified vehicle sales, including EVs and hybrids, rose 8.4%. However, it was Ford’s gas-powered trucks and SUVs that drove the growth.
Trucks accounted for over half of Ford’s sales last month, with sales up 19% to 116,955 units. Ford sold another nearly 87,000 SUVs, up 13.4% from April 2024.
The growth was primarily thanks to a new promotion launched in early April. CEO Jim Farley told CNN in an interview on Wednesday that Ford is extending its “From America, For America” campaign through July 4. The program was initially scheduled to end on June 2 and offers employee pricing on most 2024 and 2025 models.
Despite higher sales of internal combustion (ICE) and hybrid vehicles, Ford sold significantly fewer electric vehicles last month. Ford sold 4,859 fully electric vehicles in April, which is nearly 40% less than the 8,019 sold in April 2024.
All three of Ford’s electric vehicles —the F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit —had double-digit sales declines last month.
Ford sold 2,927 Mach-Es (-40%), 1,740 F-150 Lightnings (-17%), and just 192 E-Transit vans in April (-81%). Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg said the lower sales were due to lower inventory resulting from model year changeovers.
Top comment by Steve
Ford's EV offerings are just looking overpriced and slightly stale. The F-150 Lightning is great, but to big for many buyers and too expensive for most buyers. The eTransit is a niche vehicle. The MME is great, but it's overdue for a charging upgrade. Kia and Hyundai have put out cars and SUVs that charge much faster with comparable pricing. Ford is at the back of the pack in the charging tests that matter to me. Only Toyota/Subaru have managed to put out a worse-charging car recently!
If they want to dominate the market, they need to sell cars, and they need to offer an electric Maverick. I'd buy an EV Maverick and an EV Ford Focus wagon!
According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, Ford is no longer developing its next-generation electric architecture, FNV4.
Bergg clarified to Electrek that FNV4 was not an EV-exclusive project and it’s not ending. The company is merging two of its electrical architectures into one that will be used across more vehicles, regardless of powertrain.
The move will enable Ford to offer advanced connected experiences in EVs like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, as well as other vehicles like the Bronco, Mustang, Super Duty, Ranger, and Transit.
Ford also extended its “Power Promise” program this week, which offers EV buyers a free Level 2 home charger and several other benefits to help ease the transition to electric vehicles.
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