CNBC: Ford's U.S. sales in May 2022 fell only 4.5% from the same period last year

Ford Motor's U.S. sales in May fell just 4.5% from a year earlier, a narrower decline than in recent months, according to CNBC. Demand for its latest vehicles remains "white-hot" amid tight supply of new cars, pickups and SUVs. Ford and other automakers are still struggling to resolve supply chain issues, including a global shortage of semiconductor chips that has hampered global new car production for more than a year. Ford's monthly sales in the U.S. fell more than 10% in April and more than 20% in February and March.

A Ford spokesman said the company estimates total U.S. new-vehicle sales in May were down about 30% from a year earlier, meaning Ford's market share may have increased, the report said.

Ford's ongoing disruptions to vehicle production have left its dealers with tight inventories. In response, Ford has offered incentives to customers willing to order vehicles and wait for production and delivery. Ford said in a statement that nearly half of its retail sales in May came from customer orders placed earlier this year.

As chip supplies remain limited, Ford has been prioritizing production of its lucrative workhorse models. Sales of Ford's F-Series pickup trucks, an important driver of the company's profits, increased 6.9% in May from a year ago. Deliveries of the Mustang Mach-E were also more than double those of a year ago.

From January to May this year, Ford's sales in the United States were 763,558 vehicles, a decrease of 13.3% from the same period in 2021.