Ford Utility Sales Held Steady During Q3 2023

Ford utility sales, which include the Ford EcoSport, Ford Escape, Ford Bronco Sport, Ford Edge, Ford Explorer, Mustang Mach-E, Ford Bronco and Ford Expedition, decreased 0.29 percent during Q3 2023, selling 194,723 units.

Here, we see that five of FoMoCo’s utility vehicles experienced an increase in sales, while the other three were in the red.

Sales Numbers - Ford Utility Vehicles - Q3 2023 - USA

The Ford Escape outsold the rest of its corporate siblings with 38,774 sales last quarter, demoting the Ford Explorer to second, which had 33,709 sales, down 37 percent. The Ford Bronco Sport slotted in third, up 55 percent to 33,232 units, followed by the Ford Bronco, up four percent to 32,888 sales. The Ford Edge came next, up 50 percent to 24,217 units, while the Ford Expedition’s 17,061 sales – a nine percent decrease – placed it in sixth place. The Ford Mustang Mach-E sold 14,842 units, up 43 percent, and finally, the discontinued Ford EcoSport posted no sales, rounding things out.

Looking at the segment in terms of share reveals that the Escape gained two percentage points for 20 percent share, and the Explorer posted 17 percent share, having gained 10 percentage points. The Bronco Sport and the “regular” Bronco each claimed 17 percent share, with the latter gaining six percentage points and the former gaining one, while the Edge gained four percentage points for 12 percent share. The Expedition lost one percentage point, earning nine percent share, and the Mustang Mach-E earned eight percent share, up three percentage points. Finally, the EcoSport lost four percentage points, with no stake in its segment share last quarter.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford utility sales, which are made up of the body-on-frame SUVs and unibody crossovers, held steady during Q3 2023, barely slipping when compared to the year-ago quarter. This indicates that FoMoCo was able to produce enough units to keep up with demand for the most part, perhaps finally reaching level ground when it comes to ongoing supply chain issues that have made it difficult to pace production with demand for its vehicles.

However, it’s interesting to note that Q3 2023 Ford utility sales represent a notable decline when compared to Q2 2023, during which The Blue Oval sold 205,175 units, exceeding last quarter’s results by over 11,000 sales. Demand across the board seems to be cooling this year, especially in the case of the Explorer and Expedition, both of which posted sales in the red during Q3 2023.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for FoMoCo utilities. As previously stated, five of its entries were in the green last quarter, three of which posted double-digit gains when compared to the year-ago results. The Bronco Sport, Edge and Mustang Mach-E are all in an upswing, demonstrating that these models were attractive to consumers last quarter. This is likely in part due to the fact that Mustang Mach-E discounts were extremely generous, as were those toward the Bronco Sport and the Edge.