Ford Motor Company's US sales fell 16 percent in May to 217,998 vehicles amid a sharp drop in demand for gasoline-guzzling truck and sport utility vehicles, the automaker said Tuesday.
Car sales, however, rose 3.8 percent to 85,542 from April amid strong demand for more fuel-efficient models but were still five percent lower in the year to date amid a general economic slowdown.
“Our products and our dealers are getting us back in the car business,” said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president of marketing and communications.
“Our small and mid-size cars are outperforming the industry, and we're only just beginning.”
Ford said its gains in the small and mid-size car market are helping to mitigate a sharp 44 percent drop in sales of traditional sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and a 29 percent decrease in demand for pickup trucks and vans.
Sales of more fuel-efficient crossover vehicles, SUVs built on car platforms instead of truck platforms, fell 7.3 percent in May.
Low-margin sales to rental companies fell 30 percent.
Sales excluding the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, which were acquired Monday by India's Tata Motors for 2.3 billion dollars, totaled 213,238 vehicles.
Jaguar sales rose 27 percent to 1,757 vehicles while Land Rover sales fell 30 percent to 3,003.
