Ford Stock Is Popping. This Is Why.
Oct 01, 2025 11:47:00 -0400 by Al Root | #Autos
Vehicles at the Metro Ford dealership in Miami. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Key Points
- Ford’s September U.S. vehicle sales increased 12.3% year over year, totaling 166,003 units, with F-series truck sales up 12.2%.
- Electric-vehicle sales surged in September, with Mustang Mach-E sales up 121% and F-150 Lightning sales up 135% year over year.
- Ford delivered 545,522 vehicles in the third quarter, an 8.2% increase year over year, despite anticipated tariff impacts.
Ford Motor turned in another strong month of sales in the U.S. Despite tariffs and electric-vehicle headwinds, car demand is holding up better than investors expected.
The U.S. auto maker sold 166,003 vehicles in September, up 12.3% year over year. F-series truck sales rose 12.2%.
It was a huge month for EV sales. Ford sold 7,643 Mustang Mach-Es, up 121% year over year, and 3,957 F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup trucks, up 135% year over year.
That trend might not last. Car buyers were racing to beat the elimination of the $7,500 federal EV purchase tax credit, which went away at the end of September after being cut in President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending bill passed on July 4.
For the third quarter, Ford delivered 545,522 vehicles, up 8.2% year over year.
Overall, it was a solid report. Ford stock rose 2.6% on Wednesday, closing at $12.27, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively.
Coming into Wednesday trading, Ford stock was up about 21% year to date. Tariffs simply haven’t hit Ford profits or car sales as much as investors feared heading into 2025.
Through August, U.S. new-car sales were up about 4% year over year, with prices for new vehicles relatively stable. The average transaction price for a new car in August was about $49,000, representing a 2.6% year-over-year increase.
As for tariffs, Ford estimates a 2025 impact of about $2 billion on operating profits. Ford is expected to generate a 2025 operating profit of about $7 billion, down from roughly $10 billion in 2024.
The $2 billion figure can be thought of as what Ford hasn’t passed on to U.S. consumers. That works out to roughly $1,000 per car sold.
Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com