Ford earnings boosted by record North American profit - Los Angeles Times
Ford Motor Co. ’s net income jumped 44 percent to $1. 9 billion in the second quarter as global sales rose and customers paid more for new trucks and SUVs with premium features. The results bode well for the second half of the year, when Ford's two U. S. truck plants will be in full production and dealers will have more pickups to sell. Fields said Ford still expects to achieve a pretax profit of $8. 5 billion to $9. 5 billion this year. In North America, technology-rich versions of the Ford Explorer, Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX SUVs drew buyers to showrooms even as smaller, less-profitable cars like the Focus struggled. Ford said F-150 buyers paid an average of $3,800 more per truck in the second quarter, loading them up with features like a 360-degree camera and adaptive cruise control. Outside North America, new vehicles like the new S-Max wagon in Europe, the Ka small car in South America and the Mustang sports car in China commanded higher prices. The results mirrored those at Ford's crosstown rival, General Motors, which last week reported a record second-quarter profit of $2. 8 billion in North America on the strength of its SUV and truck sales. Source: www.latimes.com
