Ford Starts Off the New Year by Pissing Us Off

Are there fits of childlike, fists-clenched glee occurring in the Glass House right now? Quite possibly, and not just because someone brought a scooter into the building.

Don’t say we didn’t predict it. Ford, following in the footsteps of rival General Motors, says it plans to switch to quarterly sales reporting in 2019. While this move would even out the monthly spikes and troughs caused by fleet timing, it ends up meaning less data available to journos and the public.

The rage felt by those who enjoy poring over monthly sales stats burns like a thousand Ivy Mike bombs. Matthew Guy just took a header into a snowbank to cool off.

In breaking the seal, GM started an annoying trend that’ll surely be picked up by other automakers (Tesla reports quarterly, but GM was first among legacy OEMs). Don’t be surprised to see Fiat Chrysler go the same route by the end of the year.

While many regard the move as a way of keeping the PR ball mostly in the automaker’s court in this new era of cooling auto sales, companies (and some analysts) would argue that quarterly reports provide a clearer picture of a vehicle’s sales health over the long run. That doesn’t mean we can’t piss and moan about it.

As for actual sales, Ford’s 2018 report card is in. With total fleet sales up just a tick, Ford’s U.S. sales volume fell 3.5 percent last year, with the Blue Oval brand showing a 3.3 percent loss and the Lincoln division posting a 6.8 percent drop. December sales (this is the last time we’ll have to say those words in relation to Ford) fell 8.8 percent — a figure encompassing both brands.

How did Ford’s volume break down in relation to bodystyle? Take a guess. This is the company that celebrated 2018 by culling all cars save the Mustang, so traditional passenger vehicles boasting trunks and hatchbacks did not fare well — not that they’re doing all that hot anywhere else. Sales of Ford and Lincoln cars sank 18.4 percent in 2018. Crossovers and SUVs barely made it into the red, with a 0.5 percent sales increase. Trucks, on the other hand, posted a gain (shocker!), with sales up 1.4 percent. Expect their share of Ford’s volume to rise markedly in 2019, once the Ranger comes online.

We’ll have a full overview of the industry’s 2018 sales for you later today. Matthew just needs to thaw out first.

[Image: Ford Motor Company]