F-Series loses No. 1 sales spot

After decades of sales domination, the Ford F-Series was outdone as the best-selling vehicle in America in May by four Japanese cars — a development that symbolizes the difficulty Ford Motor Co.'s turnaround now faces.

The F-Series, which is built at factories in Dearborn, Kansas City, Kan., and Louisville, Ky., represents about one-fourth of the company's total sales.

In May, F-Series sales plummeted 30.6%, to 42,973, as customers continued to reject trucks in favor of more affordable, fuel-efficient cars.

"It is a sign of the times," said Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president for marketing and communications. "But it is not surprising, given the fuel price. We have never seen $4.20-a-gallon gas."

The F-Series decline meant the title of top-selling vehicle went to the Honda Civic, which starts at $15,010 and is rated at 29 m.p.g. in combined city-highway driving. The sporty compact car earned the purchases of 53,299 customers last month, an increase of 37.1%.

The Civic lead was followed by the Toyota Corolla, with 52,826 sales; the Toyota Camry, with 51,291 sales, and the Honda Accord, with 43,728 sales.

The F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for 26 years, but there have been months when it has been bested by another truck, usually the Chevrolet Silverado.

The last time the F-Series was outsold by a car, however, was December 1992, when more than 65,000 Ford Taurus sedans were sold, said Ford's top sales analyst, George Pipas. Detroit Free Press