Ford November Sales Drop 30 Percent

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers reported total sales of 118,818 units this November, down 30 percent compared to a year ago. Ford’s spin on the news is that “estimated industry-wide sales” were down 35 percent, meaning Ford actually gained market share. But let’s look at the reality. The Ford nameplate is down 18.5 percent, with only the Fusion and Focus (+.9 percent, and +15.7 percent respectively) increasing sales compared to a year ago. Even the all-new F150 is down 25.4 percent. Lincoln is down 19.1 percent, and Mercury is down 28.5 percent, as neither brand has a single model that sold better than November of last year. Volvo is down 29.7 percent, with only the C70 enjoying a bump in sales compared to a year ago (+27 percent). Looking at the raw numbers, it’s hard to get too down on Ford’s PR flacks for trying to find something positive in this mess.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Jpcavanaugh Jpcavanaugh on Dec 02, 2008

    This is some positive news for Ford. The entire new vehicle market fell into a swamp last month. Everybody is losing sales. It appears that Ford is losing less than anybody I have seen so far (Toyota, Honda, GM and Chrysler).

  • Edward Niedermeyer Edward Niedermeyer on Dec 02, 2008

    helius: Jag and Landie were sold to Tata Motors earlier this year.

  • Droid800 Droid800 on Dec 02, 2008

    Edward- You need to correct one big thing; the F150 sales only included a modest number of 2009 models, because they haven't quite hit their full production stride yet. Out of the F150's 38,000 sales, only 5,000 were the new model.

  • Umterp85 Umterp85 on Dec 02, 2008

    P_71 Crown Vic----everything is relative my friend. Ford hung in there better than any other major auto manufacturer for Nov. Sit back---relax---and hopefully an American icon can turn it around with a solid business plan. Time (and cash) are not on Ford's side---but they have a solid strategy and product plan moving forward. How can you not cheer for them to survive ?

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