Ford sales fell 17% in the first quarter as the automaker battles a chip shortage | Daily News Byte

DETROIT – Ford Motor’s US sales of new vehicles fell 17% in the first quarter, including a 26% slide last month, as it battles a global shortage of semiconductor chips.

The automaker on Monday reported first-quarter sales of 432,132 vehicles, including 159,328 units in March. Those numbers were in line with analyst expectations.

Andrew Frick, Ford’s vice president of sales, distribution and trucks, said the company experienced some positive signs heading into the spring sales season.

“While the global semiconductor chip shortage continues to create challenges, we saw an improvement in sales in March, as in-transit inventory improved 74% over February. The F-Series had a record 50,000 new retail orders in March, while a record 41% of our overall retail sales came from previously placed retail orders,” he said in a statement.

Ford’s truck sales fell 23% in the first quarter. Car sales fell 49%, while SUV sales fell just 5.1%.

Sales of Ford’s highly profitable F-Series pickups, including the F-150 and its larger siblings, fell 31% in the first quarter, including a 47% decline in March. With improved inventory, Ford said SUV sales were up 39% compared to February.

Automakers like Ford have been managing a global shortage of semiconductor chips for more than a year. Parts shortages have caused sporadic plant shutdowns and depletion of new vehicle inventories.

Ford was among the last of the major automakers to report its March and first quarter sales. Total sales of new vehicles in the US for January through March are likely to be less than 3.3 million, down 14% from the first quarter of 2021, industry analysts said.

Ford has expressed demand for its latest vehicles, such as the Bronco and Bronco Sport SUVs and the Maverick small pickup truck. March Maverick sales are up 115% since February, with the standard vehicle selling out of a dealer lot just four days after arrival.