FORD: EVs, hybrids drive Q1 gain as F-Series, Ranger slip

Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. light-vehicle sales rose 6.8 percent in the first three months of the year, driven by a quarterly record for hybrid deliveries and a strong performance by its Lincoln luxury brand.

The automaker sold 508,083 vehicles in the first quarter including a record 38,421 hybrids, up 42 percent. The Maverick compact pickup, which is available as a hybrid, surged 82 percent to become the company's No. 4 seller.

Electric vehicle sales jumped 86 percent from the same period in 2023. Sales of the Mustang Mach-E, which have been strong since Ford made hefty price cuts to outgoing 2023 model vehicles in February, rose 77 percent. F-150 Lightning sales climbed 80 percent in the quarter, despite a stop-ship order on all 2024 models that's been in place since Feb. 9 for an undisclosed quality issue.

Sales of internal combustion engine vehicles rose 2.6 percent.

Lincoln, which has been working to sell down a glut of 2023 models through incentives and other tactics, posted a 32 percent quarterly gain with 24,894 vehicles sold. Executives have told dealers they hope to sell at least 100,000 vehicles in the U.S. this year for the first time since 2020 behind new products like the redesigned Nautilus.

Brands: Ford up 5.7%, Lincoln up 32%.

Notable nameplates: Ford F-Series down 10%, Ford F-150 Lightning up 80%, Ford Mustang Mach-E up 77%, Ford Maverick up 82%, Ford Bronco down 26%, Ford Ranger down 83% and Ford Explorer up 0.7%; Lincoln Navigator down 25%, Lincoln Nautilus up 68% and Lincoln Corsair up 56%.

Quote: "The new F-150 will be a big play for us across gas, hybrid and electric vehicle segments of our business," said Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue. "With the new F-150 and all-new Ranger sales beginning in March, along with the strong performance of our all-new Lincoln Nautilus and Nautilus Hybrid, we're in a strong position to capitalize and grow as we move through 2024."

Did you know? Ford said overall utility vehicle sales grew 15% to a record 216,997. The Explorer, up 0.7% with 58,465 sales, is the country's bestselling three-row utility.