Delayed Ford sales report paints rockier Oct. picture

Ford Motor Co.’s U.S. sales dropped 11.9 percent in October to 187,692 vehicles, as car, SUV and truck sales all fell year-over-year. Overall industry sales fell 5.8 percent from October 2015.

The Dearborn-based automaker’s decline pushed the overall industry’s drop in October from an estimated 4.4 percent that had been reported on Tuesday, according to updated figures released Wednesday by Autodata Corp. The industry sold 1.37 million vehicles in October and the pace of auto industry sales slipped to 18.02 million in October, slightly less than the 18.18 million pace a year ago. Estimates on Tuesday had the sales pace slightly ahead of last year’s.

Industry sales through October totaled 14.48 million vehicles, down 0.2 percent from the same months in 2015. Carmakers sold a record 17.47 million vehicles last year. Many analysts and carmakers believe the industry will end the year close to the record again, with a few thinking breaking the record remains possible.

Ford had to delay the release of its results due to a small fire at its world headquarters in Dearborn on Monday that closed the facility for the day and prohibited dealers from sending results. Ford said it gave dealers until 8 p.m. Tuesday to submit sales results for October.

Autodata had estimated Ford’s drop for October at 2.3 percent and Tuesday reported an overall decline of 4.4 percent for the industry. Many analysts had predicted Ford to lose 10 percent or more in the month. Ford reported sales of 188,813 for October, though its figures included heavy-duty trucks, which Autodata does not include.

Ford brand sales were down 12.5 percent in October vs. the same month in 2015, while Lincoln brand sales rose 6.9 percent. The industry had two fewer selling days in October vs. October 2015 and most other automakers who reported sales results Tuesday also reported declines.

Car sales tumbled 27.5 percent, while SUV sales dropped 9.4 percent and trucks fell 2.2 percent.

“October proved to be yet another challenging month for Ford,” Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs said in a statement. “One wonders where the bottom is for Ford cars, in particular.”

Ford F-Series eked out a slight 0.1 percent gain, selling 65,542 trucks vs. the month a year ago for the best October for F-Series since 2004. The E-Series and Transit also posted gains. The Lincoln brand was aided by more than 1,200 sales of the new Continental and growth from a year ago with the MKZ and MKX.

“High customer demand for our new Super Duty, including top-trim-level pickups, continues to boost transaction prices,” Mark LaNeve, vice president for Ford U.S. marketing, sales and service, said in a statement. “New Super Duty is turning on dealer lots in just 18 days, and Ford’s average transaction prices are up $1,600 versus a year ago — far outpacing the industry average of $600.”

Ford said its retail sales fell 7 percent and fleet sales were down 24 percent, as it front-loaded much of its fleet sales into the beginning of the year. The automaker’s market share fell to 13.7 percent in October from 14.6 percentage points a year earlier.

mburden@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2319