Ford Reports Oct. US Total Auto Sales Up 14% to 191,985

Ford Motor Company's

 October U.S. total sales of 191,985 vehicles rose 14 percent over a year ago. Retail sales are up 15 percent, at 142,487 vehicles. It is the company's best October retail sales performance since 2004. Gains were broad-based, with passenger cars up 19 percent, utilities up 9 percent, and trucks up 14 percent. Ford Fusion and Fiesta posted best-ever October sales, and F-Series again topped 60,000 sales. "October was simply an outstanding retail performance, as consumers continued to choose Ford for great fuel efficiency, styling and value at all levels of the market," said John Felice, vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service. "The combination of great new products, such as Fusion and Escape, along with the strength of our dealers helped us achieve our best October retail sales month since 2004." Fusion sales of 21,740 vehicles jumped 71 percent year-over-year, making it the car's best-ever sales performance for October. The strongest growth for Fusion is in the west region of the U.S., with retail sales up 77 percent. In the eastern region of the country, Fusion retail sales are up 65 percent. Escape sales of 22,253 vehicles increased 12 percent, while Fiesta sales of 4,337 vehicles increased 9 percent – setting a new record for October. F-Series sales of 63,803 trucks are up 13 percent, making October the sixth-straight month above the 60,000-vehicle mark for F-Series. The last time Ford sold more than 60,000 trucks for six consecutive months was 2006. Lincoln MKZ sales of 2,909 vehicles increased 80 percent over a year ago, leading the Lincoln brand to an overall increase of 38 percent. MKZ has now reported record sales for six of the last seven months, attracting significant conquest buyers to the Lincoln brand.