But analysts say first-quarter sales figures should help soothe some of those fears. "The U.S. new-vehicle market is showing signs of strength and is also being reshaped by higher prices and fewer subprime buyers," said Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox Automotive. Demand has been such that Ford last month said it was looking at ways to boost output of gasoline-powered and hybrid F-150 trucks at a Michigan factory as part of a broader plan to increase production of several models. Sales of crossover SUVs and trucks, a key segment, contributed to over 95% of Ford's sales in the first quarter, data showed on Tuesday, while overall sales rose to 475,906 vehicles compared with 432,132 vehicles a year earlier. EV sales rose 41% in the quarter, while sales of Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup truck rose to 4,291 units from 254 a year earlier. The U.S. carmaker in March hiked prices of some models of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck again, at a time when market leader Tesla Inc slashed prices and triggered a price war.
Overall, U.S. new vehicle sales in March were 1.37 million
units, with an annual sales rate of 14.82 million, according to
data released by Wards Intelligence on Monday.
(Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru;
Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
