Ford Sales Slip 26%

Way hey! Ford is claiming a major victory, even as its U.S. May sales dropped 25.8 percent. The Blue Oval Boyz trumpet the fact their market share has grown to its “highest level since 2006.” So Ford is now where they were when ex-Boeing exec Alan Mulally took over (for a $25 million year one payout). And once again, Ford forgets to assign this glorious rising market share a numerical value. Let’s be clear here (even if Ford isn’t): they’re talking about retail share. At the end of the first quarter, Ford’s overall share of the U.S. market, measured traditionally, fell to 13.9 percent, a loss of 1.1 percent. What was that about lies, damn lies and Ford press releases? Drilling down is even more depressing.

Last month, sales for the Ford brand fell 36.8 percent, spraying arterially in all genres: cars (-32.6 percent), CUVs (-25.3 percent), SUVs (-60.5 percent) and trucks (-40.3 percent). Fusion sales get the PR spin award. Ford dealers managed to shift 19,786 of the hecho en Mexico four-door, up 9.4 percent. Fleet much? Incentive much? Not to take anything [much] away from the Fusion’s success, but sales of every other Ford model were way, way down. Ford can’t afford to become Mr. Fusion.

Lincoln clocked-in with a 2.4 percent lift, but get this: the only winner in its lineup was the ancient Town Car, up 103.3 percent. And let’s get real: the six-soon-to-be-seven model brand’s total monthly volume was just 8,566 vehicles. In repeat of last month’s ignominy, the badge-engineered Mercury brand outsold Ford’s premier division (by 1665 units). Led by—you guessed it—the Mercury Marquis (up six percent).

And Volvo? Lets just say the brand’s getting cheaper every month, in a -42.1 percent kinda way.

The real question: once the rabbit in the python is digested, once Chrysler and GM’s excess inventories are pushed out the door at fire sale prices, will Ford’s crosstown rivals’ customers abandon Government Motors I and II for Ford? The next few months will tell the tale. And will that be enough to even partially douse FoMoCo’s epic cash burn?