This week Ford released their September 2021 sales report, which was full of encouraging information. While the auto industry as a whole is down from previous years due to the combined forces of the pandemic and the recent shortage of semiconductor chips, Ford has made improvements over last month that seem to point towards better things to come. Retail sales are up 34.3% from August, allowing Ford to take the number one spot for the month for sellers of vehicles in the United States. Total U.S. sales for the month of September came to 156,614 vehicles, an increase of over 30,000 from last month. 83,554 of those sales came from trucks, 70,260 from SUVs, and 2,800 from cars.
Retail orders continue to expand as well, with 52,000 new orders placed in September. Ford began leaning into orders around the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, encouraging customers to configure and reserve their vehicles online rather than going to a dealership in person. The practice has been increasing efficiency as well as encouraging social distancing.
The Bronco is working hard to keep up with demand, with in-transit inventory on its way to dealer lots up nearly 200% compared to August. Also doing well is the F-150 Lightning, for which over 150,000 reservations have now been taken. The F-Series overall is remaining as popular as ever with 63,164 sold, the best month since the beginning of the semiconductor shortage. F-Series retail sales for September came to 13.4 percent over August.
The new Maverick pickup became available for sale at the end of September, and already dealerships are reporting highly satisfied customers who love the truck’s maneuverability, fuel efficiency and affordable price. 506 units have been sold thus far, certainly with more to come soon.
Going into the busy season of the fourth quarter, it’s expected that while things will continue to improve slowly, getting back to pre-pandemic sales levels is not in the cards for now. The struggle of the semiconductor chip shortage is projected to continue well into the new year, which will continue to make inventory harder to come by. However, Ford dealt with its greatest difficulties early on in the shortage, while other automakers are being hit now, so the improving steps that Ford has made in the last month are likely to continue.
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