Ford's November sales down 20.9% amid industrywide decline

Jordyn Grzelewski
The Detroit News

Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales fell 20.9% year-over-year in November amid an industrywide decline due in part to a calendar quirk that meant three fewer selling days for the month.

The Dearborn automaker on Wednesday reported sales for last month of 149,931, down from 189,562 last November. Retail sales, meanwhile, were down 16.7%.

Another factor in the weak sales month was the ongoing sell-down of old F-150 models to make way for the new 2021 F-150 that began shipping to dealers at the end of the month. The automaker said sales of its flagship F-Series truck franchise were dragged down by low inventories caused by a spring coronavirus-related production shutdown, as well as the transition to the new model year. Overall, F-Series sales were down 27.2% year-over-year.

"Dealers are looking forward to the 2021 F-150, which is now in transit, as well as Bronco Sport and the all-new Mustang Mach-E," Mark LaNeve, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said in a statement.

Industrywide, sales were down by nearly 15% when not accounting for the fewer number of selling days, according to a J.D. Power projection. But the decline was only projected to be 3.5% when adjusted for selling days. J.D. Power is projecting a seasonally adjusted annualized rate for new-vehicle sales of 15.8 million units, down by 1.3 million from 2019. 

Other automakers, including Toyota, Honda and Hyundai also saw U.S. sales drop in November.

Thomas King, president of J.D. Power's data and analytics division, noted in a statement that retail sales for the month are almost on pace with retail sales from November 2019 when adjusted for selling days.

"While the sales results illustrate the continued strength of consumer demand, that strength is further reinforced by transaction prices hitting another record high, even as manufacturers and retailers continue to remain disciplined on new-vehicle incentives and discounts," he said.

There were a few bright spots for the Blue Oval, including a 7.5% gain for its Super Duty truck; commercial and government fleet sales were up 7% and 14%, respectively; and the Transit commercial van posted a 13.9% increase, bolstering Ford's van sales to a 5.2% gain.

Though the automaker reported recovery of sales to government fleets, daily rental fleet sales were down 87% as that segment continues to suffer amid the pandemic.

The Explorer SUV, the botched launch of which dragged down sales in 2019, saw a 21.9% sales gain in November.

Ranger pickup sales were down 19.8% year-over-year. Ford's luxury Lincoln division posted a 22.9% sales decline in November.

It was the first month Ford recorded sales of the new Bronco Sport, with 22 sales reported. The automaker is at the cusp of a major refresh of its lineup, with the new F-150, the Bronco Sport, and the electric Mustang Mach-E arriving at dealerships, and the full-size Bronco coming next year.

Ford continued to sell down remaining inventory of Fusions and Fiestas as it completes its exit of the sedan market in North America.

For the year, Ford's sales are down 16.8%. Results from the second quarter reflected a two-month North American production shutdown, but U.S. sales industrywide have recovered stronger than expected.

This is the second month since Ford has returned to reporting sales on a monthly basis after switching to quarterly sales reports in 2018. Crosstown rivals General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are slated to report fourth-quarter sales in January.

jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @JGrzelewski