Ford Motor Company: vehicle sales in the United States by segment Q4 2020-Q4 2022

The number of Ford-built vehiclecomparings sold to customers throughout the United States decreased from roughly 504,100 units to around 479,700 units between the fourth quarter of 2021 and that same period in 2022. The slump was driven by a five percent decline in Ford brand sales. Meanwhile, sales of Lincoln-badged vehicles remained relatively stable. These lower sales figures are relatively positive compared to the drop in sales between 2019 and 2020. Ford introduced a program allowing car customers to defer payments amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., where motor vehicle sales relatively stable as of August 2022.

Product launches in 2020

In an effort to reduce costs and boost profitability, Ford is in the midst of an overhaul process. Restructuring its activities means a cut in some partnerships and the closure of some plants, including halting the manufacture of vehicles in India for direct sale in the country. Ford's workforce had already decreased to 183,000 employees in 2021. 2022 saw crucial product development, including the launch of the Ford Maverick.

New direction ahead

Looking to remain a competitive player in the industry, Ford committed almost 30.3 billion U.S. dollars to research and development in between 2018 and 2021. The company has been viewing AI as a new, lucrative direction for the company to develop partially autonomous vehicles. As such, Ford has announced plans to invest over four billion U.S. dollars in AI technology development through 2023.