Ford’s October vehicle sales increase 15.2% from subdued levels due to labor strike in 2023

DETROIT — Ford Motor on Monday reported a 15.2% increase in U.S. new vehicles sales in October compared with subdued levels due to a union strike in October 2023.

The year-over-year sales increase was led by a 29.2% improvement in sales of Ford’s trucks, which were among the first vehicles affected by the United Auto Workers’ strike during contentious contract negotiations in 2023.

Ford said its total U.S. market share increased 0.6 percentage points to 12.6% in October. The automaker’s sales gain outpaced the industry’s estimated increase of 10% in October compared with a year earlier.

Sales of hybrid vehicles, which Ford has been emphasizing amid a slower-than-expected adoption of electric vehicles, were up 38.5% in October compared with October 2023, Ford said. Its EV sales were down by 8.3%, while sales of traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines were up 14.1%.

Ford’s EV sales remain up 38.2% for the year through October compared with the same time frame in 2023.

The October sales decline for EVs comes days after the company confirmed plans to idle production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning from Nov. 18 until Jan. 6, including previously planned holiday downtime at the end of the year.

Ford’s U.S. sales through October were up 3.8% to more than 1.7 million vehicles sold.