Ford Motor Company: Understanding the automaker’s history and legacy
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- Ford reported annual sales rose 6% to 2.2 million vehicles, its highest annual sales since 2019.
- Strong truck sales and a variety of powertrain options, primarily hybrids, contributed to the company’s success.
- Hybrid vehicle sales increased significantly, while electric vehicle sales declined due to the end of federal tax incentives.
Ford Motor Co. reported strong fourth-quarter and full-year U.S. sales results, which it attributed to its broad product lineup, which offers a variety of trim levels and powertrains to meet customers’ different needs and pocketbooks.
Ford on January 6 reported its best annual sales and fourth-quarter results since 2019. Sales in the fourth quarter were 545,216 units, an increase of 2.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. For all of 2025, Ford reported sales rose 6% to 2.2 million vehicles. Ford’s U.S. market share increased gradually from 0.6% to 13% during the year.
As a breakdown, annual sales of the Ford brand were 2.1 million units, an increase of 6.2% compared to 2024, and sales of the company’s luxury brand Lincoln also increased by 2% to 106,868 units, driven by sales of the new Navigator SUV. The Navigator ended 2025 with sales up 42.8%, bringing total SUV sales to 22,185 units, the highest since 2007.
“What made 2025 such a successful year for Ford? One of them was our share growth and industry-wide wins by delivering a complete product offering, from accessible entry-level models to high-performance off-roaders and luxury trim lines,” Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue and Ford Model E, told the media. “Our growth has led to record hybrid sales, demonstrating the power of our selection approach by offering gas hybrid and electric powertrains, which delivered significant results for us throughout the year.”
Ford reported annual EV sales of 84,113 units, down 14% from 2024. After federal tax breaks ended on September 30, EV sales plummeted 52% to 14,513 units in the quarter. However, annual sales of hybrid powertrain vehicles increased by 22% to 228,072 units, and by 2024, sales increased by 18% to 55,374 units. quarter.
Across the city, rival General Motors Co. saw sales decline in the quarter as sales of electric vehicles fell as federal tax incentives expired. GM US sales in the fourth quarter were 703,001 units, down 7% from the same period last year. GM reported that its sales in 2025 will increase by 5.5% to 2.8 million units.
Stellantis sold 1,260,344 vehicles in 2025, which was 3% less than in 2024. However, the brand said fourth-quarter sales growth and powertrain diversification were positive signs for the automaker and its new leadership. Sales for the quarter increased 4% to 332,321 units.
Toyota North America announced that year-end U.S. sales rose 8% to 2,518,071 vehicles. Toyota reported sales of 652,195 vehicles in the fourth quarter, an increase of 8.1% year-on-year.
track strength
Ford’s sales were largely supported by strong growth from the Maverick compact pickup and the popular F-Series full-size pickup lineup. Frick called the Maverick “America’s most affordable pickup truck,” and said Ford set a sales record for the Maverick last year. Pricing for the 2025 Maverick starts at $28,145.
Maverick sales in the fourth quarter increased 54.2% to 34,147 units, compared with a full-year increase of 18.2% to 155,051 units. Frick said Ford’s success with the Maverick and several other vehicles was due to offering an expanded range of trim levels, a recipe for addressing affordability constraints.
“This has had a huge impact on our commitment to affordability in the market. We’ve seen significant line expansion, not just in the Maverick, but with our entry-level Maverick XL up 105%, which is a trend we’re seeing across many of these vehicle lines,” Frick said.
He added that Ford also saw a significant increase in sales of off-road performance trim levels for various vehicles, including the Raptor, Tremor, Timberline and FX4 trims.
Ford saw annual sales of its popular three-row Explorer SUV increase 14.7% to 222,706 units, and more than 30.6% in the same quarter to 61,777 units. That year, Ford sold 146,007 Bronco SUVs, an increase of 33.7%, and Frick said Ford had record sales of the Bronco and Bronco Sport, with total sales exceeding 280,000 units, an increase of 19.9% over the previous year.
Making a pickup
Ford suffered some damage to its F-Series sales in the fourth quarter after two fires at aluminum supplier Novelis’ plant in Oswego, New York, shut down some production late last year. Ford is its biggest customer and uses aluminum in its truck bodies. Ford announced in October that it would increase F-Series production by more than 50,000 units in 2026, up from the first quarter, to compensate for downtime caused by unavailability of aluminum. It will do this by adding a third shift of employees at the Dearborn Truck Plant, where Ford manufactures F-150s with gasoline and hybrid engines.
F-Series unit sales in the fourth quarter decreased 3.1% from the same period last year to 208,252 units. For the full year, sales increased by 8% to 828,832 units. Frick said Ford will begin backfilling lost pickup truck production on schedule starting in 2025.
“We’re moving a third staff member this quarter, and we’re taking steps to do that, and we’re putting a lot of emphasis on the recovery from Novelis after losing some of our production in the fourth quarter,” Frick told reporters. “That seems to be on track at this point.”
Separately from this issue, Frick said Ford had a “really big truck year.”
“Ford sold approximately 1.3 million total trucks and vans in 2025, making it the top U.S. truck manufacturer,” Frick said. “No other company offers the powertrain choices that Ford offers in our trucks. Our F-Series sold more than 828,000 units, an increase of 8.3 percent, and has been America’s best-selling truck for the 49th consecutive year.”
Ford’s commercial van sales continued to grow, with Transit van sales increasing 5.9% to 161,797 units.
The road ahead
Part of the F-Series’ success is due to demand for the F-150 hybrid powertrain, with total sales of about 85,000 units in 2025, 15% more than in 2024, Frick said.
Annual sales of the Ranger midsize pickup increased 53.6% to 70,960 units, led by the entry-level XL trim.
Regarding the Escape SUV, which ends production in 2025, Frick said Ford has enough Escape inventory to bring it into the first quarter, but no more. Escape sales ended the year with 139,387 units, down 5% from 2024, as Ford sold its inventory.
Frick declined to provide an economic or sales outlook for 2026, saying Ford leaders will address the topic when the company reports fourth-quarter and full-year results in February. But he said the company will continue to monitor its overall mix to make sure it’s “taking advantage of some of the market trends that we’re seeing and really meeting the demand that customers want to buy right now.”
He noted that Ford is seeing growth in its lower trim lines of Explorer, Ranger and Maverick, as well as interest in more hybrids, and expects that to continue this year.
As for EVs, Ford said it will continue to produce the Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric vehicle produced in Mexico, to meet market demand.
“We have a very strong offering with the Maverick and the F-150 hybrid,” Frick said, and he expects that to continue through 2026. “For the F-150, we’ll see how the market continues. We plan to align production with what the market is asking for. So for the F-150, we’ll see what happens with natural demand (this year).”
Jamie L. Lareau is senior auto writer for USA Today and covers Ford Motor Company for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jalalean. To sign up for our automotive newsletter. become a subscriber.
