- Ford and Lincoln had a bad May as both brands posted big declines.
- Following the death of the Escape, Ford sales dropped 13.3%.
- Every Lincoln model posted declines, leading to a 20.5% drop.
Ford’s first quarter sales fell 8.8%, so the company brought back employee pricing for all on May 1. The offer runs through July 6 and consumers can save around $2,000 on a number of models including the Bronco, Bronco Sport, and Mustang.
Unfortunately for Ford, the incentive isn’t working as combined May sales tumbled 13.6% compared to a year ago. The automaker sold 190,828 vehicles last month, which was down 30,131 units from 2025.
More: Ford’s F-150 Supply Cratered 40% And GM Smells Blood
The drop can largely be blamed on Ford’s own decisions as sales of the discontinued Escape plunged 80.3% to 3,427 units. It’s also worth noting, once again, that Escape buyers aren’t migrating to the Bronco Sport as sales of the crossover dropped 8.3%.
Interestingly, the Mustang Mach-E doesn’t seem to be benefiting from high gas prices. Sales were down 44% to 2,647 units, which stands in sharp contrast to the Hyundai Ioniq 5. That model celebrated its best May ever as sales jumped 28% to 5,002 units.
Speaking of declines, the Expedition dropped 24.4%, while the F-Series fell 13.3%. The Ranger plunged 23.3%, while the Mustang saw a slight 1.8% decline.
It wasn’t all bad news as the Explorer was up 8.8% to 22,316 units. The Bronco also reported a 5.2% increase, while the Maverick was up 10%.
Lincoln Bloodbath
While overall Ford sales fell 13.3% to 181,627 units, Lincoln plummeted 20.5% to 9,201 vehicles. A large part of this can be chalked up to the elimination of the entry-level Corsair. Sales of that model dropped 65.7% as inventories are starting to dry up.
The bad news was compounded by the fact that every other vehicle also experienced declines. The gas-guzzling Navigator fell 10.8%, while the Nautilus and Aviator followed with declines of 7.6% and 6.1%, respectively.
While there’s a lot of blame to go around, much of it can be pinned on the Blue Oval itself. Besides axing the Escape and Corsair, Ford no longer offers a hybrid crossover for mainstream consumers. That looks like an increasingly dumb move, especially when gas prices are over $4 per gallon and competitors offer multiple hybrids.
Ford May 2026 Sales
