Ford's July US sales were down 4 percent from July 2011, but the company struck a sanguine note when announcing them; attributing the drop to lower fleet sales, and noting that several models had an excellent month.
Fleet sales (that is, sales to corporate or government bodies such as police departments or taxi companies) were down 16 percent from the same period last year, but individual retail sales were up 2 percent.
The company noted that the Ford Fusion - with 23,236 units sold - experienced its best July ever, up 21 percent from last July.
The Explorer SUV saw its best July since 2006, with 11,313 units sold.
The F-Series pickup, which Ford calls America's best-selling vehicle, sold 49,314 units, achieving a 12th consecutive month of increased sales. Of these, the F-150 equipped with EcoBoost made up 42 percent.
In total, 173,966 Ford Motor Company vehicles were sold in America last month. Of these, 166,991 were Fords, while 6,975 were Lincolns. While this is a decrease for both brands from last year, year-to-date sales figures are higher than last year. So far this year, 1,268,652 vehicles have been sold by the company, a 5.4-percent increase over the same period in 2011.
While car sales were up 1.8 percent over July of last year, "utilities" sales were down 3.7 percent and truck sales were down 9 percent. However, all segments have experienced greater sales so far this year than last year.
In the car segment, only the Fiesta saw its sales decrease from July of last year. The Crown Victoria was discontinued this year, though 243 were still sold from off dealer lots. The Focus, Taurus, and Mustang saw increases of 10.5, 15.3, and 8.3 percent respectively.
In the utilities segment, only the Explorer saw increases. The Edge, Flex, and Expedition saw decreases of 5.7, 3.1, and 18.5 percent.
The F-Series was likewise the only truck to see sales increases. The E-Series saw a 2.6-percent decrease from 8,802 sold in July 2011 to 8,574 sold in July 2012. Like the Crown Victoria, the Ford Ranger was discontinued this year, but dealers managed to find homes for 413 leftovers.
Lincoln sales were up this July 5.7 percent for the MKZ and a whopping 57.4 percent for the MKT. The MKS, MKX, and Navigator models were down 19.7, 10, and 9 percent respectively. The discontinued Town Car sold 77.
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