Pickup, SUV Sales Help Ford Record Its Best March Ever

DETROIT —  With record-breaking demand for its pickups and sport-utility vehicles, Ford Motor Co. posted its best March ever for U.S. sales.

The No. 2 auto maker said Tuesday that its U.S. sales were up 14% in March over the same month a year ago, based on the daily sales rate. Ford broke a long list of company records, led by its strongest-ever month of light-truck sales.

March sales of F-series pickups, the nation’s top-selling vehicle for 17 years, were the highest for any car or truck in any month since June 1978. Ford sold 85,686 of the full-size pickups last month. The June ’78 record was 90,370 F-series trucks.

Ford’s car sales, excluding its Jaguar unit, were up nearly 6%, while its light-truck sales increased 19% to set a record for any month. SUV sales were up 11% and total pickup sales were up 28%.

The news was especially good for Ford because pickups and SUVs carry the highest profit margins. Much of the big increase in F-series sales was due to robust demand for the new F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks built at Ford’s Louisville, Ky., truck plant, which has been running three shifts.

Ford said Tuesday that it was increasing its second-quarter production by 20,000 trucks and 10,000 cars to meet the strong demand.

The Explorer and Expedition SUVs also set March sales records, while the new Mercury Cougar and the Escort ZX2 coupes had their best sales months yet. Ford’s minivan sales were up 23%.

Ford’s report comes after last week’s largely upbeat sales figures from DaimlerChrysler and most major foreign auto makers. General Motors Corp., the No. 1 auto maker, is expected to report slightly higher March sales today.