FORD SALES FELL 7 PERCENT IN 2021 BUT REBOUNDED IN 4TH QUARTER
Ford Motor said Wednesday that it sold 1.9 million cars and trucks in the United States last year, down 7 percent compared with 2020, but it added that sales were much stronger in the last three months of the year as a computer chip shortage eased.
The company, which finished the year third behind Toyota and General Motors, said it sold 27 percent more vehicles in the fourth quarter than the third quarter. Ford was forced to idle or slow down production at many factories in the middle of 2021 because of the chip shortage. Ford’s production rose to more normal levels in August after four lean months.
Ford said it sold more than 27,000 fully electric vehicles, replacing GM in the No. 2 position in that fast-growing segment behind Tesla. All of those sales came from the Mustang Mach E, a popular SUV.
Ford is expecting sales of electric vehicles to grow significantly this year.
In the spring, the company is supposed to start producing an electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning. It has booked reservations for more than 200,000 trucks, and it expects to produce about 60,000 Lightnings this year, increasing that to 80,000 in 2023 and 150,000 by 2024. The company also plans to start selling an electric version of its Transit delivery van this year.
Even with those new electric models, Ford may not gain a lot of ground on Tesla. Last year, Tesla’s global sales increased 87 percent to more than 936,000 cars, and it has forecast annual growth of about 50 percent for the next several years.
But it could maintain its lead over its main rival among established automakers. GM’s electric vehicle strategy has been slowed because of troubles with its Chevrolet Bolt. The company has stopped making the electric compact car while its battery supplier, LG Electronics, fixes a glitch that can cause Bolt battery packs to catch fire. GM and LG are working to replace the batteries in Bolts sold since 2017. GM hopes to restart Bolt production in February.
GM plans to add other electric models, but the two coming this year — the Hummer and Cadillac Lyriq — are luxury models that are likely to sell in low volumes.