Ford Sales Dipped in 2022, but Electric Vehicle Deliveries Surged
Ford Motor reported Thursday that its new-vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2022 as shortages of computer chips and other supply disruptions slowed its production of trucks and sport utility vehicles.
The automaker said it sold 1.85 million cars and light trucks in the United States last year, as well as 13,539 heavy trucks.
Ford’s sales decline was in step with most other automakers. Overall, the industry sold about 13.8 million new vehicles in 2022, about one million fewer than in 2021, according to Edmunds, a market research firm. On Wednesday, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Stellantis reported significant declines in 2022 sales. General Motors was an exception: Its new-vehicle sales rose 2.5 percent, to 2.3 million vehicles.
For the last two years, automakers around the world have been hampered by a shortage of semiconductors, the tiny brains used in electronic devices that control a vehicle’s engine, transmission, display screen and other major components. The chip shortage eased somewhat in 2022, but other supply problems were caused by Covid-19 outbreaks that at times interrupted production of key parts in China and Southeast Asia.