Although U.S. auto sales fell for the fifth straight month in May, Ford reported a “surprising” 2% increase that was fueled by an 8% jump in fleet sales and a strong month for the F-Series pickup truck, with sales up nearly 13% to over 76,000, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Ford, the nation’s No. 2 automaker, even beat GM for the month—which has happened only one other month since 2002. Ford sold 241,000 vehicles to beat GM, with just over 237,000 vehicles.
The shift from cars to trucks and SUVs of all sizes continued, with analysts expecting a car sales decline to around 38 percent of the market in May. The General Motors plant in Arlington builds large SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Cadillac Escalade.
For the month, Ford reported a surprising 2 percent increase while Nissan said its sales rose 3 percent. Honda sales were up just under 1 percent. Volkswagen sales rose 4 percent over weak numbers last year due to its diesel emissions cheating scandal.
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