Every major car manufacturer is, to some degree, making the switch to EVs, and some are handling the transition better than others. Towards the front of the pack sits Ford, which has found great success with its Mustang Mach-E, and it looks like the Ford F-150 Lightning is going to be a big hit too. Ford hasn't had the best start to 2022, and recently posted a $3.1 billion loss in the first quarter. This has been blamed on its connection to Rivian, but there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon: the Dearborn-based manufacturer has seen its EV sales jump by a whopping 139 percent: a clear indication of things to come.

This year-on-year growth rate was spurred on by excellent Mach-E and E-Transit sales. The E-Transit, Ford's electric workhorse, managed to bag a sales increase of 62.3 percent in March for a total of 1,575 sold this year, and the Mustang Mach-E had its best monthly sales performance since it was launched with 10,539 cars sold in April. The Mustang Mach-E came in second behind the Tesla Model Y for most EV SUVs sold in April. Ford's total electric vehicle sales for April totaled 16,779, with Ford's overall figure coming in at 176,965 units. Official quarterly figures for the F-150 Lightning are not yet available, but with all available vehicles having sold out ahead of the April launch, we're expecting big things

"While industry semiconductor shortages persist, improved inventory flow in April delivered a significant share gain of one percentage point over a year ago, with Ford outperforming the industry. Inventory flow bolstered strong F-Series, Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit and record Ford brand SUV sales. We are now shipping all models of electric F-150 Lightning," said Andrew Frick, vice president, sales, distribution and trucks.

Despite production setbacks, Ford managed to expand its total market share by a full percentage point for a total of 13.8 percent. This was driven by a steady 17.9 percent growth in new car sales, led by popular models such as the Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach-E and Maverick. Other traditional best-sellers such as the F-150 pickup saw a 14.7 percent increase in sales, and Ford's overall truck sales grew by 7.2 percent. To top it all off, Ford SUVs beat their April monthly sales record with a total of 83,551 units sold last month. Lincoln also posted some impressive figures: total sales grew by 23.7 percent over March, with the Nautilus enjoying its best April sales month in 12 years. With growing stock levels, production of the new F-150 Lightning in full swing, and a second all-electric truck on its way, we expect to see even better figures in the coming months.