, began near the end of 2023. I recall that one of the first big names in the industry to bring it up was Jim Farley, CEO of Ford. And as a result, Ford said that it was adjusting its EV plans to be a bit less ambitious. I found it particularly odd at the time since Ford’s electric vehicles actually had a strong 4th quarter. But hey, I didn’t have insight into what was coming in terms of Ford demand like Farley did, right?.
Additionally, these EV sales are normally “conquest sales,” the most valuable kind of sales for an automaker since auto buyers are often loyal and it’s very helpful to steal buyers from other auto brands. “Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning are drawing customers from other brands; 62 percent of F-150 Lightning and 54 percent of Mustang Mach-E sales are new to Ford,” the company writes.
The Ford E-Transit was America’s best-selling electric van with total first half sales of 6,301, more than double the amount sold during the first half of 2023. During Q2, E-Transit sales were up 96 percent. This represents E-Transit’s best quarterly sales since its debut in 2022. . There’s a lot to unpack there, including lawsuits, but that’s clearly part of Ford’s sidestep away from a strong EV push. However, I have to wonder, will that help sell more EVs in the future now? Will more dealers get and sell Ford’s EVs? Who wouldn’t want a piece of that fast-growing EV pie?