33 Years Running: F Series Tops Again

The champ wins again!

2009 model year sales winner, Ford F-150

Ford did everything in December to push its popular full sized F-Series trucks selling a whopping 48,209 units, the best performance seen by the line since March 2008. As a result, the F-Series continues to maintain its position as the best selling truck in America, a position it has held consistently since the 1977 model year.

What’s more, the Ford F-Series remains the most popular vehicle sold in America, the undisputed model leader for 28 consecutive years.

Staying On Top

The F-Series’ reign appeared to be in jeopardy early on in 2008, when ultra high gas prices pushed down demand for big trucks. This segment which also includes the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra, and Nissan Titan, has long been dominated by the American makes who still sell 91 percent of all big trucks.

Yet, when gas prices gyrated in 2008, Ford’s position as the top selling passenger vehicle model looked to be in jeopardy with perhaps the Toyota Camry or Corolla overtaking its lead. That was not to be as gas prices retreated and sales eventually stabilized.

True, Ford’s 413,625 units sold in 2009 were well below the 939,511 units sold in the record selling 2004 model year, but the entire segment is down. Indeed in a depressed US market where just 10.5 million units were sold for the year compared to 17 million plus in the early 2000s, the F-Series numbers remain impressive.

Core Truck Owners

The big news for Ford is the type of person who is buying their trucks, someone the company identifies as a core trucker. These are people who use their truck’s towing and hauling capability for work and play; owners who now make up 40 percent of the light-duty full-size pickup market up from 30 percent just six years ago. These owners choose better contented trucks which means that Ford is able to drive home a higher per vehicle profit.

In the commercial/fleet portion of this core trucker sub-segment, Ford F-Series continues to dominate. The F-150 has 44 percent of the light duty commercial/fleet market; and Super Duty is stronger still with over 56 percent of heavy duty commercial/fleet market.

The modern Ford truck line made its debut in 1948 when the F-1 hit the market. Over the years, the F-Series has enjoyed a five year product life cycle, with the 2009 model year being the most recent change over for the perennial sales leader.

See Also: Trucks Trends 2009 Sales Report

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

Ford Fusion Cracks Top Ten List

Modern convenience and safety features are among the amenities attracting shoppers to the all new Ford Fusion.

Quick, what is the best selling car in the America?

Well, that answer needs to be qualified by how you define car. If you mean sedan, coupe and crossover type vehicles, then the Toyota Camry followed by the Honda Accord are 1-2, but if you include all passenger vehicles then that answer is the Ford F-150 pickup truck.

Toyota Camry

It has been years since the Ford Taurus ceded its number one position to the Toyota Camry, the former now a full-sized but lower production model which will probably never sell more than 100,000 units a year. That pales in comparison to various times during the 1980s and 1990s when more than 400,000 Taurus models were sold.

The Ford Fusion has since replaced the Taurus as the Blue Oval’s midsize sedan, a car available with I4 or V6 engines, front or all wheel drive, as well as a hybrid offering. Sales for the Fusion have been good, but until recently, the model hasn’t been a Top Ten seller. Well, that’s all changed because through the first ten months of the year, the Fusion is on a roll, having already surpassed 150,000 units, besting its previous top year which was 2007 and with two months still to go.

Tough Economy

This news comes as the auto industry continues to feel the effects of a stiff economic downturn, extended by even higher unemployment, a depressed housing market, and with consumers who are awfully picky about their purchases.

Since the end of “cash for clunkers” this summer, Ford has been one of the industry’s bright spots, seeing its sales rise without having to resort to profit-killing deep discounts. Leading the way in sales is the F-150, but the Fusion is now making its own mark on the new car landscape. Indeed, the Fusion is now the top selling domestic car, though Toyota might argue that its Camry sedan is made here and sells twice as many copies as the Fusion.

Sales Surge

No matter, the news about the Fusion is certainly good and comes as sales of the 2010 model, on sale since last Spring, are booming. Moreover, most shoppers are choosing higher end models including the Hybrid, Sport and SEL.

Overall car sales remain down, having fallen about 26% over last year, which makes the Fusion’s rise all the more interesting. It appears that new car buyers are out there, but they’re carefully weighing what is being offered and choosing the technological amenities they want which they are finding available in the all-new Fusion.

Source: Ford Motor Company

Speculation Abounds Regarding Ford Ranger Replacement

Since the early 1970s, the Ford Motor Company has had a small pickup truck in its line up, initially selling the Mazda built Ford Courier before replacing that model with the Ford Ranger in 1983. Today, the Ranger soldiers on but the truck is woefully outdated and needing a major makeover. Indeed, Ford says that the current model will be retired in 2011, but has been pretty much mum about its replacement.

What Truck Is This?

Ford appears to be committed to selling a compact pickup truck, a segment with plenty of room to grow. Lots of people like the big Ford F-150, but find it to be too much truck for their needs. GM, Toyota and Nissan all have newer, smaller trucks in their line ups, with the latter two companies dominating the entry level truck market.

Over the past few months, spy shots of what appears to be a new Ford truck have surfaced on the internet. For its part, Ford has said that a truck slightly smaller than the F-150, dubbed the F-100 might hit the market, while others know that Ford plans to roll out a compact truck overseas through its Thailand operation.

Giving Ford Australia Responsibility

Ford has also tasked Ford Australia with designing and developing a new truck, code-named the T6 which could be readied for world markets other than the US in 2011. That model is expected to be equipped with various small gas and diesel engines, the types of powerplants desired in most markets. Recent rumors have indicated that prototypes of the T6 are being tested in the US right now, which would show that Ford may be taking a new approach with the Ranger.

So why would Ford hold the Ranger or its replacement back from the US market? For one, costs make building the truck here prohibitive – like so many small Ford cars, building them in markets where labor costs are low is the only way Ford can turn a profit with the Ranger. In addition, US safety and emissions requirements add to the cost of building the Ranger, one more reason why getting the replacement Ranger to the US market may be a tall order to fill.

We’ll let you know if we hear fresh speculation about the replacement Ranger. Ford has its hands full bringing the Fiesta and all new Focus to the market, compact cars which could pave the way for the next generation Ranger.

See Also — Is Ford Itching To Sell Mazda?