March 16, 1999 – Fact Sheet: Ford Trucks
Trucks account for about one half of the U.S. new vehicle market. And Ford is the industry leader.
- Ford set an industry record for truck sales in 1998 (2,363,414) with total sales up 5 percent. Ford’s truck share was more than 30 percent.
- Since 1991, the SUV market has grown from about 900,000 units to nearly 2.8 million. It’s the only segment that has had double digit growth every year in this decade.
- One of every four U.S. sport utility buyers purchases a Ford SUV.
- Ford F-Series was the best-selling vehicle – car or truck – for the 17th consecutive year (836,629 units).
- One of every 10 vehicles sold since Ford was founded in 1903 has been an F-Series truck. In 1995, F-Series surpassed the Volkswagen Beetle as the best-selling vehicle nameplate of all time.
More 1998 Truck Sales Highlights
In 1998, Ford Motor Company was No. 1 in U.S. truck sales for the fourth year in a row, outselling its nearest competitor by a record margin of 213,337 trucks.
Ford Division was the top-selling truck brand for the 13th calendar year in a row, with a record 2,233,465 trucks sold and the largest ever margin over the nearest competitor – 683,367 trucks.
Four Ford brands placed among North America’s Top Ten-selling trucks (F-Series #1, Explorer #3, Ranger #5, Expedition #9).
Ford trucks dominated nearly every segment. Ford’s sport utility vehicles sales set an industry record (748,645) and all four Ford SUVs set individual records. Ford Explorer was the top-seller for the 8th straight year (431,488), outselling its nearest competitor by almost 2-to-1 and topping the best-selling passenger car (Toyota Camry, with 429,575).
- Expedition (225,703) has been the best-selling full-size SUV since its October 1996 introduction.
- Also setting records were Lincoln Navigator (43,859) and Mercury Mountaineer (47,595).
- Ford Ranger was the top-selling compact pickup for the 12th straight year, with sales of 328,136 and a nearly 31 percent share.
- Ford Econoline, with more than 50 percent of the full-size van segment, has led the market for 20 straight years.
For February 1999, the most recent sales figures available, Ford’s truck surge continues. The company posted its 10th consecutive monthly record for truck sales in February (193,779, up 20 percent).
Ford Truck Sales in the Southwest Region
Ford continues to dominate the truck market in the Southwest. For 1998, it was the #1 retail truck sales region in the country.
- The Southwest Region sold over 115,610 F-Series pickup trucks in 1998. It is the first time any manufacturer’s sales region has sold over 100,000 retail units of a single vehicle line.
- February truck sales for Southwest Region increased 31percent over the prior year while the industry as a whole increased 23 percent.
