Ford F-Series and Expedition Dominate May Sales Despite Higher Fuel Prices

Sales of the new Lincoln Navigator saw a triple-digit percentage increase in May.
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Ford’s line of trucks continues its dominance over the U.S. automotive market, as well as the Blue Oval’s balance sheet. Sales of F-Series trucks posted an 11.3 percent gain last month, making for the best May performance since 2000.

The Dearborn-based automaker managed to sell 9,368 more trucks in May this year compared to 2017, for a total of 108,605 trucks finding a home over a four-week period of time. May’s results also mark 13 consecutive months of sales gains for the F-Series.

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2019 Ford F-150 Raptor., Ford

When it comes to SUVs, the demand for the all-new Expedition seems to defy logic especially with gas prices drastically spiking across the country. Retail sales of the three-row SUV are up a whopping 41.8 percent, with a total of 5,223 units departing dealership lots in May. According to Ford, Expeditions are only averaging 19 days on dealer lots, compared to the average of 40 to 50 days for most mainstream models.

Unsurprisingly, Ford claims that sales of passenger cars such as sedans and hatchbacks are down 13.8 percent this year, which ties into the brand’s decision to focus primarily on crossovers, SUVs, and trucks in the near future.

One non-truck or non-SUV that’s rebelling against consumer trends is the Ford Mustang, which posted a sales gain of 10.7 percent with a total of 8,739 units sold last month. 

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2018 Ford Expedition., Ford

Last but not least, the Expedition’s fancier cousin, the Lincoln Navigator, flew off dealer lots with retail sales up triple digits—122.4 percent to be precise. The Motor Company sold 1,837 units in May, compared to 826 last year. 

We will have to wait and see whether the recent fire at the Meridian Magnesium plant that forced F-150 production to halt will affect June or July’s sales figures. Ford claims to have nearly 300,000 trucks in gross stock (including in-transit), and 231,286 in dealer stock as of May 31.