- Ford saw big growth in August in sales of its three-row Expedition SUV.
- The most popular Expedition models start at around $74,000. The vehicle is gas-powered, signaling that even as demand for electric vehicles has risen, consumers are still interested in big, traditional models.
- While the Expedition only made up about 5% of sales in August, Ford’s profit engine for decades has been large trucks and SUVs.
Ford’s redesigned three-row Expedition SUV is seeing explosive growth.
The Detroit automaker reported Wednesday that it sold 8,724 Expeditions in August, up 53.7% from the same time last year and marking its best sales in 21 years. It’s sold 61,022 of the vehicles so far this year, a 13.1% increase from the same period in 2024.
The Expedition is outperforming Ford’s sales overall. In total, the company’s August sales were up 3.9% from the same month last year.
While the Expedition only made up about 5% of sales in August, Ford’s profit engine for decades has been large trucks and SUVs.
It also has a traditional internal combustion engine, signaling customers are still interested in large, gas-powered vehicles even as electric vehicle sales have been up this year.
Buyers have been rushing to purchase EVs ahead of the end of a federal tax credit at the end of this month. Ford is seeing the surge, with EV sales up 19.3% in August from the same period last year. Wall Street analysts predict EV sales will drop at the end of the year as the credits expire.
Ford’s crosstown rival General Motors also touted its EV sales for the period, saying the segment set an all-time monthly record in August.
Mark Levine, Ford director of North America product communications, acknowledged that there’s been a lot of interest with EVs but said families are drawn to bigger vehicles, like the Expedition.
While Ford has an electric vehicle segment of its business called “Model e,” the company hasn’t been as enthusiastic as some of its rivals when it comes to the all-electric transition. It canceled plans for a three-row electric SUV a year ago and said at the time it would prioritize the development of hybrid models.
“We are out of sync, in a good way, with our competitors who are now fully loaded with all their EVs, and they’ll have to commit to them,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said on the company’s latest earnings call with analysts at the end of July.
It’s also a sign that some consumers are still willing to spend on large vehicles. The most popular models of the Expedition start at around $74,000, Ford said Thursday, and can go up from there. Ford said its most popular models are the Platinum, Tremor and King Ranch, at the higher end of the lineup.
The automaker unveiled the latest model of the Expedition in October, and it started shipping the SUV about five months ago. It’s assembled at the company’s Kentucky Truck Plant.
Ford’s main rival in the segment has long been GM, with its Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon vehicles. But new competitors such as the Jeep Wagoneer from Stellantis as well as large three-row crossovers from Kia and Hyundai have also come to market.
