Tour a portion of Ford’s heritage vehicle collection in Dearborn
Ford Motor Co. is displaying some of its famous heritage vehicle collection at its headquarters building in Dearborn, Michigan.
- Sales of electric vehicles fell by a significant 61%, and sales of F-series pickups also fell by nearly 10%.
- Despite the overall decline, sales of the Explorer SUV, Maverick Pickup, and Ranger Pickup increased significantly.
Ford Motor Co. reported a slight decline in U.S. sales in November compared to the same period last year, primarily due to a decline in electric vehicle sales.
On Dec. 2, Ford reported sales of a total of 164,925 vehicles, down 0.9% from November 2024. Ford’s EV sales plummeted to just 4,247 units, a 61% drop from the same period last year. SUV sales decreased by 5% compared to the same period last year. Sales of pickups, Ford’s most popular vehicle, were also nearly flat at 96,696 units compared to 96,724 units in November 2024.
However, on a bright note, Explorer SUV sales increased nearly 42% over the month to 20,226 units. Additionally, Maverick pickup sales were up 43% to 9,883 units, and Ranger pickup sales were up 36% to 6,845 units. Transit van sales increased 17% to 15,339 units. Even the Mustang, although a low-volume car, sold 4,207 units, a 79% increase over the same period last year.
“Given the headwinds, it’s a solid performance that rides well on Ford’s December sales,” Dan Ives, managing director and senior equity analyst at Wedbush Securities, told the Detroit Free Press.
Industry-wide “price fatigue”
Ford has sold about 2 million new vehicles in the U.S. since the beginning of the year, up 6% from the same period in 2024.
Still, rival Toyota sold 212,772 vehicles in November, an increase of 2.7%. Toyota has sold 2.3 million new cars so far this year, an increase of nearly 8% from a year ago. General Motors and Stellantis do not release monthly sales figures, only quarterly.
Ford spokesman Syed Deep said the company’s total sales were down 0.9% but still outpaced the industry, which is estimated to have declined 8%.
“Ford has found a way out amid a broader decline in the new car industry that many attribute to price fatigue,” Deep said in an email to the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. “Total sales of entry-level trims for vehicles like the Maverick, Ranger, and Bronco Sport rose 25% in November, hurting the industry.”
It should be noted that total sales of Ford’s Bronco Sport SUV decreased by 4% compared to November 2024 to 9,212 units.
This month was expected to be a difficult one for the industry. As the Detroit Free Press reported on Dec. 1, many analysts expected U.S. new car sales to decline across the industry in November compared to the same period last year.
This is because government subsidies for electric vehicles have declined, leading to a decline in sales. Additionally, prices for all new cars are rising across the board as the costs of President Donald Trump’s 25% auto tariff kick in, and in some cases some of that is being passed on to consumers.
Meanwhile, car-buying analysts say many consumers are resisting price increases amid economic uncertainty, choosing between buying used cars or keeping their cars longer. Analysts say data on new car inventories shows vehicles are sitting idle for much longer.
fallout from fire
Ford announced that sales of Ford brand vehicles in November totaled 156,791 units, down 0.2% from the same period last year. Luxury brand Lincoln sold 8,134 units in November, down 12% from a year earlier. Sales of the Lincoln Nautilus soared by 30% to 2,305 units.
Cox Automotive executive analyst Erin Keating told the Detroit Free Press on Dec. 2 that November’s sales decline was “on par with history.”
“We’re not surprised by the decline in sales of EVs, especially the F-150 Lightning,” Keating said.
The Lightning hasn’t been a strong seller for Ford, but to make matters worse, a fire destroyed part of the Novelis aluminum plant in New York, forcing Ford to halt production of the Lightning, which was assembled at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, on October 23 due to an aluminum shortage. Novelis is a major supplier of aluminum used in Ford pickups and SUVs. Production numbers are still declining, and Ford executives are said to be weighing the long-term fate of the Lightning in Ford’s EV lineup.
Ford leaders warned in October that production of some gasoline F-150 pickups made at the Dearborn truck plant could also be affected by the aluminum shortage. Ford reported that November sales of its popular and profitable F-series fell nearly 10% to 60,961 units.
Morningstar auto analyst David Whiston called the decline in F-Series sales “unfortunate,” but added, “The F-Series is by far the best-selling car, so Ford’s numbers will be depressed for several months while Novelis suppresses sales.”
some unanswered questions
As for the other results, Whiston is left with more questions than answers.
“Is the Explorer driven by deep discounts or is there just a lot of demand?” Whiston said. “On a related note, why is the Escape so much lower but the Explorer so much more expensive? Also, is the Nautilus so much lower because they are reducing inventory to avoid tariffs, or are they made in China and consumers are shying away from them for fear of tariffs?”
Escape sales were 7,054 units, down 32% from the previous year. However, in August, Ford announced that it would end production of the Escape and Lincoln Corsair at the Louisville assembly plant by the end of the year as the plant is renovated to produce all-electric midsize pickup trucks.
Keating said Ford saw “slight increases in sales of midsize and compact SUVs and pickup trucks.” She added that Explorer, Ranger and Maverick all had a good month.
“With a new batch of Explorers coming to market for the 2026 model year, we’re always seeing new buyers looking to take delivery of their old cars,” Keating said. “The Ranger and Maverick may show that consumers still want the practicality of a pickup, but in a more affordable package.”
Prices for the Ranger start at $33,350 and prices for the Maverick start at $28,145, according to www.ford.com.
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.
