Ford Expedition Sales Fall 9 Percent In Q1 2020

Ford Expedition sales decreased in the United States and in Mexico during the first quarter of 2020.

Ford Expedition Sales - Q1 2020 - United States

In the United States, Ford Expedition deliveries totaled 19,790 units in Q1 2020, a decrease of about 9 percent compared to 21,773 units sold in Q1 2019.

Ford Expedition Sales - Q1 2020 - Mexico

In Mexico, Ford Expedition deliveries totaled 178 units in Q1 2020, a decrease of about 29 percent compared to 249 units sold in Q1 2019.

Competitive Sales Comparison

The decrease in Ford Expedition sales volume during the first quarter of 2020 caused the SUV line to relinquish its segment-leading status from Q4 2019 to the Chevrolet Tahoe, which outsold the Expedition by 613 units.

However, that’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison. A more accurate representation would be to combine sales of the Tahoe and Suburban, since the Tahoe is a rival to the “regular” Expedition while the Suburban is the competitor to the extended-length Expedition Max. Doing so gives Chevrolet 29,898 deliveries, nearly 10,000 deliveries more than the Ford (see running Chevy Tahoe sales and Chevy Suburban sales).

The Expedition outsold the remaining segment contenders, including the GMC Yukon family (see running GMC Yukon sales) – as well as the Nissan Armada and Toyota Sequoia by significant margins.

Sales Numbers - Mainstream Full-Size SUVs - Q1 2020 - USA

From a segment share standpoint, the Tahoe/Suburban accounted for a combined 41 percent share, followed by the 27 percent for the Expedition and 19 percent for the GMC Yukon. The Armada and Sequoia trailed with 11 and 2 percent, respectively.

Combining sales of all GM offerings in the segment – the Tahoe, Suburban and Yukon – gives Ford’s cross-town rival a 60 percent segment share versus 27 percent for the Expedition.

It’s also worth noting that every model in the segment saw sales decrease during the quarter, but the Expedition posted the fourth-largest decrease in sales volume.

Overall, the full-size luxury SUV segment contracted 9 percent to 73,189 units in Q1 2020.

The Ford Authority Take

The 9 percent decrease in Ford Expedition sales volume is not ideal and comes at an inopportune time, as the Expedition is the newest vehicle in its segment posed to capitalize on the ongoing growth in demand for SUVs. We believe that growing demand in utilities, a competitive product, and ample availability enabled the Expedition to make the very significant 72 percent jump in sales volume during the fourth quarter of 2019, thereby allowing Ford to chip away at GM’s dominant position in the space with the Tahoe/Suburban and Yukon/Yukon XL.

However, complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have stifled sales of the entire automotive industry, and have seemingly halted the momentum that Ford Expedition sales were building.

Making matters worse for the Expedition is the fact that General Motors recently unveiled all-new versions of its full-size SUVs – the 2021 Tahoe, 2021 Suburban and 2021 Yukon. The new models were initially expected launch in the first half of the 2020 calendar year as 2021 model-year vehicles, but will now launch in the fall of 2020, so long as the coronavirus doesn’t cause any delays.

About The Numbers

• All percent change figures compared to Ford Expedition sales in Q1 2019
• In the United States, there were 76 selling days in Q1 2020 and 76 selling days in Q1 2019
• Ford Expedition sales figures include sales for regular-length Expedition and extended-length Expedition MAX