DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. said it was the top-selling automaker in the U.S. for a third consecutive month, posting a 5.8 percent increase in November light-vehicle sales that contrasted with declines for nearly all other companies that reported monthly results.
Ford’s utility vehicle sales jumped 21 percent from a year ago, and F-Series pickup sales rose 15 percent despite the ongoing microchip shortage that has thinned dealership inventories. The automaker said sales of its electrified vehicles grew at triple the rate of those from other manufacturers.
Ford said its total light-vehicle sales of 157,417 was enough to beat all other automakers, including General Motors and others that report on a quarterly basis, based on numbers those companies provide privately to analysts and industry data trackers. The last time Ford had such a streak at No. 1 was 1974, company officials said.
Ford’s results included a 23 percent year-over-year decline for the Lincoln brand.
The Bronco Sport surpassed the Escape and Edge to become Ford Motor’s third most popular seller in November, behind only the Explorer and F-Series.
Ford said 29 percent of its November retail sales came from customer orders rather than dealership inventory. Dealerships took in 74,000 new retail orders during the month, a slight dip from 77,000 in October.
Ford officials said the F-Series has effectively locked up its title as the nation’s top-selling truck for a 45th consecutive year. They said F-Series has outsold Ram by 144,049 in 2021 through November, up from about 100,000 at the end of the third quarter, when Stellantis last reported Ram sales.