2018 (Full Year) USA: Ford Sales – America’s Favorite Car Brand

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In 2018, Ford sold 2,497,318 vehicles as America’s top-selling car brand for the ninth consecutive year while the F-Series was again the favorite truck.

2019 Ford F-350 XLT © Ford Mo Co

In 2018, Ford sales, including Lincoln brand, were down 3.5% to just less than 2.5 million vehicles. Ford remained the top-selling car brand in the USA with 2,393,731 sales (-3.3%) in 2018. The F-Series was again America’s favorite truck while Ford was the leading seller of commercial vehicles too. Ford SUV sales were at new record levels in 2018 while traditional passenger car sales were down by nearly a fifth.

Ford Motor Co Sales in the USA in 2018 (Full Year)

Ford Motor Company reported the following sales numbers for December 2018 and the full calendar year 2018:

SALES BY BRAND12/210812/2017% Change1-12/20181-12/2017% Change
Ford209,248231,430-9.62,393,7312,475,556-3.3
Lincoln11,52610,6198.5103,587111,159-6.8
Total vehicles220,774242,049-8.82,497,3182,586,715-3.5
SALES BY TYPE12/210812/2017% Change1-12/20181-12/2017% Change
Cars34,95048,380-27.8486,024595,390-18.4
SUVs79,22582,881-4.4872,215867,9090.5
Trucks106,599110,788-3.81,139,0791,123,4161.4
Total vehicles220,774242,049-8.82,497,3182,586,715-3.5

Ford Motor Company sales in the USA in 2018 decreased by 3.5% to 2,497,318 vehicles. Ford branded sales were down 3.3% to 2,393,731 vehicles while Lincoln branded sales were down by 6.8% to 103,587 vehicles.

Ford SUV sales in 2018 increased by 0.5% to a new record 797,238 SUVs, while truck sales increased by 1.4% to 1,139,079 trucks. Passenger car sales were sharply down by 18.5% to 486,024 cars.

For the 40th consecutive year Ford was the leading seller of commercial vehicles in the USA with sales totalling 217,653 vans in 2018.

Ford Brand Car Sales in the USA in 2018

Ford reported the following sales numbers for cars, SUVs and trucks of the Ford brand for December 2018 and full year 2018:

FORD BRAND12/210812/2017% Change1-12/20181-12/2017% Change
Fiesta4,3093,65717.851,73046,24911.9
Focus3,66111,237-67.4113,345158,385-28.4
C-MAX161,416-98.96,68318,390-63.7
Fusion16,05217,444-8173,600209,623-17.2
Taurus2,7502,7191.128,70633,242-13.6
Police Interceptor Sedan7256757.47,3827,994-7.7
GT19-88.91268941.6
Mustang4,3927,714-43.175,84281,866-7.4
Ford Cars31,90644,871-28.9457,414555,838-17.7
EcoSport5,4720N/A54,3480N/A
Escape20,14726,253-23.3272,228308,296-11.7
Edge15,13313,66010.8134,122142,603-5.9
Flex1,4451,834-21.220,30822,389-9.3
Explorer19,58625,375-22.8227,732238,056-4.3
Police Interceptor Utility2,7073,191-15.233,83933,0752.3
Expedition6,2535,45814.654,66151,8835.4
Ford SUVs70,74375,771-6.6797,238796,3020.1
F-Series87,77289,385-1.8909,330896,7641.4
E-Series3,1493,911-19.547,93653,304-10.1
Transit11,34812,380-8.3137,794127,3608.2
Transit Connect3,1883,973-19.831,92334,473-7.4
Heavy trucks1,1421,1390.312,09611,5155
Ford Trucks106,599110,788-3.81,139,0791,123,4161.4
Ford Brand209,248231,430-9.62,393,7312,475,556-3.3

The Ford F-Series in 2018 was for the 42nd consecutive year America’s favorite truck. The F-Series finished 2018 with a record 10 straight months above 70,000 pickups sold; the year saw 909,330 trucks sold, while 87,772 trucks were sold in December. Ford F-Series had record transaction prices in 2018 on demand for high-series pickups.   

The Ford Expedition posted a retail sales gain of 47.2 percent in December and a 35.4 percent retail increase for the year. This comes with the addition of Ford EcoSport to the SUV lineup, for total sales of 54,348 SUVs in 2018, providing Ford brand SUVs with another record sales year.      

The Ford Transit totaled 137,794 vans sold in 2018, making it America’s best-selling commercial van. Ford has now been America’s best-selling commercial van line for 40 straight years, with overall sales totaling 217,653 vehicles. 

Lincoln Brand Sales in the USA in 2018

Ford reported the following sales numbers for cars, SUVs and trucks of the Lincoln brand for December 2018 and full year 2018:

LINCOLN BRAND12/210812/2017% Change1-12/20181-12/2017% Change
MKZ1,8742,293-18.319,85227,387-27.5
MKS00N/A0153-100
Continental1,1701,216-3.88,75812,012-27.1
Lincoln Cars3,0443,509-13.328,61039,552-27.7
MKC2,7742,50410.826,24127,048-3
Nautilus/MKX3,3642,9761328,57331,031-7.9
MKT27118645.72,3243,005-22.7
Navigator2,0731,44443.617,83910,52369.5
Lincoln SUVs8,4827,11019.374,97771,6074.7
Lincoln Brand11,52610,6198.5103,587111,159-6.8

The Lincoln Navigator sold well throughout 2018 and posted a 43.6 percent gain in December on tight inventory. High-series Lincoln Black Label and Reserve Navigators represented 90 percent of the SUV’s sales mix.

After its launch in November, the new Lincoln Nautilus boosted retail sales again, with a 28.0 percent retail increase in December. Dealer inventory continues to move quickly. Robust demand, a $4,700 gain in transaction prices over year ago and strong growth in key luxury markets have made Nautilus an instant hit. 

Car Sales in the USA 2018 by Brand

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. 

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.