Sales of Ford Motor Co. fell nearly 3% in the fourth quarter as sales of the F-150 star were affected by the pandemic-related shutdowns that led to the launch of the latest version of the van, it said Wednesday the vehicle manufacturer.
Ford’s F,
total sales reached 4.3 million vehicles during the quarter, down 2.8% from the fourth quarter of 2019, the company said.
Total vehicle sales in the U.S. fell nearly 10%, to 542,749 units, with truck sales up more than 12% and SUV sales up 4%.
Sales of Ford’s new 2021 2021 F-150, the best-selling vehicle in the United States for decades, began in December.
“Ford’s sales were affected by lower F-150 inventories stemming from the persistent effects of the Q2 coronavirus production shutdown that led to the new F-150 transition,” the company said.
Sales of the Ford Super Duty pickup truck maintained a “strong sales pace” and increased 14.1%, while sales of the F-150 fell nearly 33%, the automaker said.
Ford called the neighborhood a “turning point,” as sedan sales in the United States decline and sales of newly designed pickup trucks and SUVs.
Several automakers were expected to record significant declines over the past year, stopping a five-year period in which sales in the United States exceeded 17 million vehicles annually.
General Motors Co. GM,
on Tuesday it recorded an increase in total sales in the fourth quarter, but sales fell 12% in 2020.
See also: GM sales fell during the year, but returned to pre-pandemic levels in the fourth quarter
Tesla Inc. TSLA,
reported on Saturday that it produced more than half a million vehicles by 2020, delivering 499,550 a year, according to the carmaker’s pre-pandemic guidelines.
Ford shares have lost nearly 4% in the last twelve months, in contrast to gains of around 16% in the S&P 500 index. SPX,