The Ford Motor Company’s namesake Ford brand suffered a September 2014 sales decline of 3% as the industry reported gains in excess of 9%.

First thought?

The F-Series, not just Ford’s best-selling model line but the country’s most popular vehicle range, was revealed in new, high-tech form months ago, and we’re rapidly approaching the replacement phase. Some members of the media have even been driving the new truck.

In other words, with factories being overhauled and buyers interested in waiting for a more efficient F-150 with a better power-to-weight ratio, sales of the current model would naturally decline, bringing down a brand that relied on the F-Series for more than three out of every ten sales last year.

Indeed, F-Series sales did decline in September. But only slightly. (Read More…)

Ford wraps up a difficult year on a high note: sales were up 33% in December compared to a year ago. And although year-end totals were down 15.4% from ’08, that still outpaced the market to deliver Ford’s first annual market share increase since 1995. Ford estimates its 2009 market share to come in at 15%, up one percentage point from 2008. Details: (Read More…)