Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. sales fell 4.5 percent in April as declines in fleet business combined with lower car and SUV demand to produce the automaker's third monthly decline, year over year, in 2018.
Ford's car sales dropped 15 percent while SUV deliveries fell 4.6 percent. Ford plans to discontinue all cars in the U.S. except the Mustang and a new Focus Active wagon.
Ford's F-series sales were a bright spot, up 3.5 percent for the nameplate's 12th consecutive month of year-over-year gains. U.S. sales of the F series -- 73,104 pickups -- represented its best April since 2000.
Although sales at Lincoln fell 12 percent last month, the redesigned Navigator SUV continues to attract new customers. Retail sales soared 135 percent in April, Ford said, and average transaction prices rose $26,300 per vehicle over year-ago levels.
Ford said companywide new-vehicle transaction prices averaged $36,300 in April -- almost $4,000 higher than the industry average.
Brands: Ford down 4.1%, Lincoln down 12%
Notable nameplates: Ford F series up 3.5%, Ford Mustang down 12%, Ford Escape down 17%, Ford Expedition down 22%, Lincoln Navigator up 122%, Lincoln Continental down 14%
Incentives: $4,183 per vehicle, up 1.7% from a year earlier, according to ALG.
Average transaction price: $37,032 per vehicle, up 3.6% from a year earlier, ALG estimates.
Fleet mix: 33%, 1.4 percentage points lower than April 2017
Inventory: 736,411 vehicles, an 86-day supply, in April. That compares with 719,157 vehicles, or an 82-day supply, in March.
Quote: "We do not gyrate or spike incentive spending month to month," Mark LaNeve, Ford's head of U.S. marketing, sales and service, on a conference call Tuesday with analysts and reporters.
Did you know? In just its fourth month on sale in the U.S., the Ford EcoSport (5,277) almost outsold the Fiesta (3,151) and Taurus (2,214) combined.