Stellantis, Ford say car sales fell at start of year

Ford Motor said Monday that its new-vehicle sales in the United States fell 17% in the first three months of the year, in line with other automakers that are struggling to keep their factories running amid a global shortage of computer chips.

Ford said it had sold 429,174 cars and light trucks in the first quarter, compared with 517,711 a year earlier. Its sales included 6,734 Mustang Mach-e electric sport utility vehicles, only 120 more than a year earlier, a reflection of the impact of the chip shortage.

Stellantis, maker of Jeeps and Ram pickups, said its U.S. sales had fallen 14% to 405,221 cars and light trucks. Jeep brand sales fell only 2%, thanks to two new SUVS, the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. The company’s Chrysler and Dodge brands declined 27% and 36%.

Established automakers have been struggling with the chip shortage for months, some for more than a year. By contrast, Tesla, the biggest seller of electric cars, said Saturday that its new car sales were up nearly 70% in the first quarter.

Ford said its dealers had 268,000 vehicles in inventory at the end of March, down from 370,000 a year earlier. General Motors had stocks of 273,760 vehicles, down from 334,628.

Ford, GM and other companies have said they expect production and sales to return to more normal levels in the second half of the year.

Ford is seeing strong demand for its pickup trucks and SUVS, Andrew Frick, Ford’s vice president of sales, distribution and trucks, said in a statement. The automaker took in 50,000 orders from retail customers for F-series trucks in March, which Frick said was a record.

Toyota Motor, which initially weathered the chip shortage better than its U.S. rivals, outsold both Ford and GM in the first quarter, selling 514,592 vehicles, just ahead of GM’S 512,846. Toyota also outsold Ford and GM in 2021, becoming the first manufacturer based outside the United States to achieve that feat in the industry’s nearly 120-year history.