Ford reports smaller sales decline in April, while chip shortages hamper deliveries

DETROIT – Ford Motor on Wednesday reported a 10.5% drop in sales compared to a year ago, which has significantly reduced losses compared to recent months.

Ford and the wider automotive industry continue to struggle supply chain problems for example, a shortage of semiconductor chips that has affected production for more than a year. Ford’s monthly sales in the US in February and March fell by more than 20% due to the problem.

“Although the shortage of semiconductor chips in the industry persists, the improved stock flow in April brought a significant increase of 1 percentage point compared to last year, when Ford outperformed the industry,” said Andrew Frick, Ford’s vice president of sales, distribution and trucks. .

Ford has tried to prioritize the supply of chips for popular products such as the electric crossover Mustang Mach-E, whose sales have almost doubled compared to April 2021. Sales of new cars, such as the small Maverick pickup and the Bronco SUV, also improved compared to March.

Sales of the most important full-size Ford F-Series pickups, including the F-150, continue to struggle due to supply problems. Last month, sales fell 22%, leading to year-over-year sales down nearly 30%. Sales of the F-Series did increase by 15% compared to March, indicating improved production and supply.

Ford sold 609,097 cars by April, up 15% from a year earlier. Ford sales from March to April increased by 11%.