Ford’s electric vehicle sales figures for May are in, and there are enough twists and turns to make your head spin. It’s a good two-step-forward, one-step-back situation, with Ford pulling back on EVs and leaning into hybrids, only for electric vehicle sales to take off and start selling like hotcakes. It must be a really confusing time in Dearborn.
Ford Focuses On Hybrids Only To Sell More EVs
Ford’s EV sales defied all expectations in May, and that’s despite pulling back on the electric vehicle ambitions and going all-in on hybrids. Every electric Ford in the lineup, from the Mustang Mach-E to the F-150 Lightning, saw a double-digit sales increase. Not bad for a company that apparently pumped the brakes on its electric dreams.
The numbers are staggering – the EV sales shot up by a whopping 64.7%, with nearly 9,000 vehicles finding new homes. Unsurprisingly, the Mustang Mach-E is leading the electric pack with 4,255 units sold and claiming a 46% increase compared to May last year. While the F-150 Lightning sold 3,260, placing close second behind the electric Mustang, the pickup truck recorded a 91% sales surge compared to the same period last year.
Ford E-Transit Races Ahead
The humble E-Transit, Ford’s electric commercial van, might not be as flashy as its siblings, but it is quietly racking up impressive sales figures. In May, Ford managed to sell 1,450 units of the electric van, recording a 77% jump from the previous year.
Looking at the broader picture, Ford has sold 37,200 electric vehicles this year so far. That’s nearly twice as many as it managed in the first five months of the last year. The five-month sales figures show the sales of Mustang Mach-E skyrocketing by 89% and reaching 18,737 units, while the F-150 Lightning sales jumped by 78.5% to 13,093 vehicles. This is where the E-transit truly shines, though – its sales went up by a whopping 111% compared to the first five months of last year, with 5,478 vans finding new owners.
Despite the strong sales performance, Ford decided to delay the $12 billion investment in EV development. Instead, the company is putting more money into hybrid technology, with some industry experts calling it a cautious move while others simply say it’s a missed opportunity. Worryingly, at the same time, when Ford is performing an electric tango, seemingly following in the footsteps of Toyota, others like Hyundai and Kia are racing ahead with three-row electric SUVs gaining traction in the U.S. market.