Ford Motor Co., the only U.S. carmaker to avoid bankruptcy in 2009, posted a 43 percent surge in its February U.S. sales and simultaneously set a higher second-quarter production plan for North America.
Ford announced sales rose to 137,644 vehicles for its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands and it plans to build 595,000 in North America in the second quarter and increase of 32 percent from 2009.
The industry’s sales were announced following one if them most turbulent months for the car industry, particularly for Toyota and other manufacturers facing recalls.
Despite the tumultuous times, Ford sales in February rose for every brand when compared to the same month last year. It was the first month since 1998 that Ford outsold General Motors, the biggest U.S. carmaker.
General Motors reported its February U.S. sales rose 12 percent to 141,951 vehicles with its four core brands – Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac increasing by 32 percent.
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, slid almost 9 percent in sales in February.
Including Volvo, U.S. sales rose 43 percent to 142,285 units in February from 99,400 a year earlier, according to Ford statistics.
Ford said its U.S. market share for February is estimated at 17 percent, up 3 percentage points from a year ago.
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