Ford’s 2021 product sales fall 6.8%, on the other hand automaker ends 12 months with tough fourth quarter

DETROIT – Ford Motor’s product sales final 12 months declined 6.8% compared to 2020, on the other hand the automaker mentioned it made strides in opposition to the end of the 12 months in overcoming disruptions resulted in by the use of an ongoing semiconductor chip shortage.

The Detroit automaker on Wednesday mentioned it purchased 508,451 vehicles throughout the fourth quarter, a 26.8% building up over the 1/3 quarter and better than the entire industry’s decline of about 3% from the previous 3 months.

Ford ended final 12 months with 247,000 vehicles in stock, up 22,000 devices from November after the chip shortage resulted in historically low inventory levels earlier throughout the 12 months.

Andrew Frick, vice president of Ford product sales throughout the U.S. and Canada, described 2021 as “turbulent and dynamic” all through a call with newshounds Wednesday. He mentioned the company was “satisfied” with Ford’s finish for the 12 months.

Common, the U.S. automobile industry purchased 15.1 million vehicles in 2021 without reference to primary supply chain disruptions and lingering impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, consistent with industry knowledge company Autodata. It was the weakest product sales 12 months since 2012.

Ford purchased 1.9 million vehicles in 2021, down 6.8% when compared with the prior 12 months. That maintained its third-place U.S. product sales position behind Elementary Motors and Toyota Motor, which dethroned GM in U.S. product sales after a 90-year run since the No. 1 American automaker.

Ford moreover beat out GM to turn out to be the country’s second best-selling automaker of all-electric vehicles, most effective behind Tesla.

Ford purchased 27,140 of its Mustang Mach-E EVs, besting product sales of GM’s Chevrolet Bolt EV models at 24,828 devices and one Hummer EV in 2021. Every are miniscule when compared with Tesla, which doesn’t file U.S. product sales, on the other hand mentioned it delivered a record 936,172 EVs globally final 12 months.

GM moreover had to largely stop producing Bolt EVs on account of a recall of the auto’s batteries that may explanation why a fire. Without reference to that, Ford’s Frick mentioned it intends to outsell GM in EVs in 2022.

“This is our aspiration to turn out to be the clear No. 2 electric car maker throughout the next couple years,” he mentioned, bringing up higher production of the Mustang Mach-E and the discharge of electric diversifications of the F-150 pickup and Transit van. “That obviously merely puts us in a much better position.”