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It seems the waters are calming for Ford’s SUV sales after the brand experienced pandemic-induced tumult. Ford SUV sales surged considerably in the first quarter of 2023 compared to a year ago.  

How well are Ford SUVs selling in 2023?

According to The Detroit News, Ford’s sales rose 10.7 percent from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023, making it the best-selling brand in the U.S. SUVs make up the bulk of Ford’s lineup. Multiple models saw robust sales growth in Q1 of 2023. 

Ford Expedition sales up nearly 100 percent year over year 

A green Ford Expedition Timberline drives an off-road trail at dusk. The Ford SUV saw sales rise dramatically in the first quarter of 2023.
2023 Ford Expedition Timberline | Ford Motor Company

Ford’s most significant sales growth of 2023 so far has been with the Expedition full-size SUV. 

According to Detroit News, the Expedition’s sales numbers grew 99.2 percent year-over-year through the first quarter of 2023. According to Ford Authority, the full-size SUV sold 19,359 units in Q1 of this year after selling only 9,718 units in the same time last year. 

Playing catch-up on orders helped Bronco sales grow significantly 

Ford Bronco sales grew 37.6 percent year over year in the first three months of 2023. 

As Ford’s manufacturing capacity has increased following supply chain issues, the brand has been able to catch up on high demand for models like the Bronco. Clearing its order backlog has helped Ford expand its market share – especially with the Bronco SUV.  

Ford Authority reports that the Bronco sold more than 32,000 units in January, February, and March of this year. That’s up from the 23,575 units sold at the same time last year. However, the Bronco still hasn’t overtaken the Jeep Wrangler in sales.

Bronco Sport and Explorer saw sales gains 

The Ford Bronco Sport and Explorer SUVs saw sales increase in the first part of 2023. 

The Ford Bronco Sport saw only a modest increase in sales at 2.7 percent. Still, Ford has sold more than 40,000 examples thus far in 2023. The Explorer saw a more robust growth rate of 35.9 percent. 

What’s the best-selling Ford SUV?

While the Ford Bronco may get the headlines, the Explorer remains the Ford SUV sales king.

Ford Authority reports that the brand has sold more than 76,000 SUVs units so far in 2023 after selling more than 200,000 throughout 2022. There’s no reason to think Ford won’t hit that SUV sales mark again with the 2023 Explorer.   

Ford’s SUV sales surge isn’t all good news, however. A few models have actually experienced moderate sales declines. The Escape, Edge, and EcoSport all shrank in sales volume year over year. Despite this, Ford still leads all brands in U.S. auto sales. 

It’s a good sign for Ford, which chose to cut all of its traditional sedan models a few years ago and emphasize primarily trucks and SUVs. The thinking was that Ford would cut to the chase and focus strictly on the models with the most demand – and the highest profit margins. So far, it seems to be paying off. 

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Staff Writer, Producer - SUVs

Scott Prewitt

Scott Prewitt joined the MotorBiscuit team in 2023 as a Staff Writer for the SUV section. During college, he began his career in journalism as Editor in Chief of The Creightonian. After graduating from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, News and Public Relations, Scott spent time in a local newsroom. He soon found his way to the world of automotive journalism and has been writing about cars since 2017.

A passion for all things automotive began at a young age. Playing Gran Turismo racing games in the early 2000s sparked an interest in cars and Scott began devouring Car and Driver stories when he was in the fourth grade. Since then, Scott’s enthusiasm for autos has grown to become the focal point of his career as a journalist.

By combining the skills that earned him the News Graduate of the Year 2016 and the Omaha Press Club Recognition & Academic Scholarship with a craving for knowledge of automotive industry, Scott covers a wide range of content from breaking news about the latest SUV models to designated off-road and overlanding rigs. His reporting is informed by personal experiences like road trips, intriguing automotive history, and time spent poring over various outlets and YouTube channels. Scott is drawn to car culture because, in his own words,  “these vehicles are a combination of purpose-built engineering and emotive, expressive design.”

The personal aspects of the autos world are of particular interest to Scott, and he is fascinated by the relationship between humans and cars. Years of writing for dealerships across the country and time in the corporate communications world lend to his expertise as a writer here at MotorBiscuit.