Despite declining sales during the closing weeks of 2021, Ford and Stellantis got a boost from strong truck sales, with Ford taking second place in sales of battery-electric vehicles to boot.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi bucked the downward trends in sales through the autumn by reporting fourth quarter total sales of 24,861 vehicles, representing an increase of 68.3% compared with the same period in 2020. Mitsubishi’s full-year 2021 total sales were 102,037, an increase of 16.8% over 2020, and the fourth time the brand has topped 100,000 sales since 2007.
Mazda North American Operations reported a 38% drop in sales during December, but like every other Asian brand selling vehicles in the U.S., Mazda reported a full-year sales increase — 19.2 percent.
Ford shows strength
Ford claimed big victories in two key segments with its F-Series pickup trucks remaining best seller for the 45th year in a row, while the Mustang Mach-E became the third-best electric vehicle in the U.S. It moved past the Chevrolet Bolt EV/EUV. Sales of the Bolt, which GM had to recall, collapsed during the fourth quarter declining by 99.5%, according to figures supplied by General Motors.
Tesla remains the top selling battery electric vehicle in the U.S. with the Model Y and Model 3 holding the top two sales spots.
Andrew Frick, Ford vice president of sales for the U.S. and Canada, said the year-end numbers held great promise for the company even though sales fell 17.1% in December and were down 6.8% for the full year. Ford’s fourth quarter sales were the best in the industry, the company said.
Finding its stride
In addition to the F Series being best-selling truck for the 45th straight year it was also the best-selling vehicle in America for the 40th year in a row. With 726,004 trucks sold, F-Series outsold its second-place competitor by 156,616 units. December F-Series sales totaled 62,496 trucks, up 3.4% over November 2020.
“Ford finished the year strong, as the only U.S. automaker hitting the half million sales mark in the fourth quarter, making Ford America’s best-selling automaker,” Frick noted. “On the strong success of Mustang Mach-E, Ford jumped into second place in U.S. electric vehicle sales behind just Tesla.
“Last year was a foundational year for Ford in the electrified vehicle segment and this year we continue to expand, adding the F-150 Lightning and E-Transit to our electric vehicle line-up. Looking to the new year, Ford had just over 70,000 new vehicle orders in December, which will provide continued momentum into 2022.”
Stellantis sees silver lining
Stellantis reported U.S. sales for the fourth quarter declined 18% while full-year results decreased 2 percent. Retail sales were flat for the calendar year.
Despite strong fleet orders, prioritizing retail customer orders given supply constraints led to a fleet decrease of 8% in the fourth quarter and 13% year over year, the company reported.
Ram’s full-size pickup trucks also outsold the Chevrolet Silverado for the second year in a row. Ram sales totaled 569,388, up 1% while Silverado sales total 529,765, falling 10.8 percent.
“2021 had unique challenges driven by the various supply chain issues, but our dealers didn’t let that slow them down, and we’re proud of their sales performance,” said U.S. Head of Sales Jeff Kommor.
“As we head into the new year, demand for our vehicles continues to be strong and our inventory is improving. We anticipate a continuation of the robust demand and sales volumes into 2022 with our existing and new products, which are backed up by the industry accolades across our brand portfolio, including the Grand Wagoneer, Wagoneer, Ram 1500 and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee,” he added.
Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at IHS Markit, noted, “Though the inventory constraints will continue to affect 2022, we also expect to see energy in the market from a higher number of new-product launches than in 2021. In 2022, we will continue to see increased EV sales, as new EV options continue to launch in 2022 and price and segment options continue to expand.
“Though numbers for 2021 are still rolling in, general consumer demand trends have continued in 2021 and share of utility vehicles and pickup trucks continues to increase, with utilities approaching 55% of new-vehicle sales, while pick-up truck sales are approaching 20% of sales,” Brinley added.