Ford Customers Are Paying More Than Ever for Pickups

Ford’s F-Series pickups continued to sell briskly in August, even as the automaker works to rebuild inventory after production disruptions.

From January through July, Ford said it saw stronger vehicle prices than during the same period a year earlier. The company’s head of sales expects prices to hold steady through the end of 2026, although he does not expect a price increase for the F-150 this year.

F-Series Sales Remain Strong

Ford reported its August sales on Sept. 2. Total sales fell 10.3% to 170,681 vehicles compared with the year-ago period, partly because the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair compact SUVs were discontinued.

Ford’s total sales for the year through August fell 9.8% to 1,347,147 vehicles. F-Series pickup sales fell just 1.2% to 67,504 in August. Year-to-date F-Series sales were down 10.9% to 494,060, but the trucks remained on track to lead the industry as the top-selling pickup.

Why F-150 Inventory Is Still Tight

F-Series inventory remains limited after two fires last fall at Ford’s key aluminum supplier, Novelis, in New York. The production halt disrupted manufacturing of F-Series pickups and some Ford SUVs, constraining inventory. Ford uses aluminum in the bodies of its pickups and SUVs.

Ford canceled its summer shutdown and took other manufacturing steps to make up for lost production. Novelis restarted aluminum production in June, and Ford has been catching up since then.

Ford’s F-150 had a 41% turn rate in August, according to Rob Kaffl, the company’s director of U.S. sales and dealer relations. A turn rate measures how often a business sells and restocks a product; a higher rate generally signals stronger demand.

Dealers had about a 40-day supply of F-150s at the end of August, compared with an industry standard of about 60 days. Ford expects dealers to see more inventory over the next 30 to 90 days and wants to build supply to 50 to 60 days.

Ford Prices Are Among the Highest

Ford did not release its average transaction price for August. An average transaction price is what a customer pays after incentives and trade-in values are deducted.

Cox Automotive reported average transaction prices from January through July for the Detroit automakers and the industry:

• Ford: $58,509, up 5.6% from a year earlier
• Stellantis: $57,259, up 6.5%
• General Motors: $54,142, up 1.6%
• Industry: $49,644, up 2.5%

Ford’s average was highest in part because of its mix of higher-end pickups. Popular off-road and performance packages also add to prices. The F-150 base model starts at $39,585, while the Tremor off-road trim starts at $64,915 and the Raptor performance version starts at $79,005, according to Ford’s website.

Ford says it has nearly 12 million F-Series customers and expects pricing to hold through the end of the year as current owners return for new trucks.

Reporting by Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.