Ford Motor Co. recorded strong U.S. sales in February, with gains of 10.5% bolstered by solid demand for hybrids and electric vehicles.
Sales of Ford’s hybrid vehicles increased by 32% year-over-year to 12,045 units, while EV sales climbed 81% to 6,368 units.
The hybrid sales gains come as part of Ford’s push to double down on the technology as a hedge against Americans’ relunctance to go all-in on EVs. The Ford Maverick hybrid pickup truck accounted for 6,463 units sold in February or more than half of all hybrids sold last month.
“Hybrid vehicles continue to be a growth segment for Ford, and sales have grown at a faster rate than the overall U.S. industry for much of the last year,” Ford said in a statement.
The Detroit automaker also recorded sales increases across its EV lineup, noting a 64.3% growth in Mustang Mach-e crossover sales and a 93% jump in F-150 Lighting pickup sales. Notably, Ford recently slashed production of the F-150 Lightning and delayed or pulled some spending on EV battery production.
Compared to its eco-friendly counterparts, gas-powered vehicle sales saw more modest gains of 7.5% year-over-year. However, traditional cars and trucks still account for most of Ford’s sales, at 155,779 units — or 89.5% of all models sold in February.
Ford said it sold 51,829 of its highly profitable F-series lineup in February, down nearly 6% year-over-year.
Last month, the company ground shipments of some gas-powered 2024 F-150s to a halt after “hundreds, if not thousands, of trucks have piled up in holding lots around Detroit,” Automotive News reported. All-electric 2024 F-150 Lightning shipments were also halted over undisclosed quality issues, although production at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, has continued.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has repeatedly emphasized improving the quality of the company’s products and facilities, saying in December 2022 that it is “the most important initiative in the whole company.”
“The capability atrophied in engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing at Ford,” Farley said at a Wolfe Research investor conference on Feb. 15.
The automaker recalled more than 6.1 million vehicles across 56 recalls last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Ford stock climbed more than 3% on Monday afternoon.