Ford Sales Rise 13%, Led by Pickup Truck Gains

DETROIT (TheStreet) -- Ford (F) said its U.S. sales rose 13% in May, led by rapid growth in pickup truck sales.

Despite a declining stock market, auto sales remained strong in May: Chrysler said its May sales rose 30% and Volkswagen said sales rose 28%.

Ford said its May sales totaled 216,267 units as retail sales rose 12%, truck sales rose 21%, utility sales were up 12% and car sales rose 6%.

Sales of the F-Series pickup, the best-selling U.S. vehicle, rose 29% to 54,836. Meanwhile, Fusion sales rose 9% to 26,857, the best May ever and the best month ever for retail sales. Focus sales rose 11% to 24,769, with the strongest sales in California, while Mustang sales rose 58% to 10,427 as the 2013 model was rolled out.

Lincoln sales fell 1.7% to 7,274, and Fiesta sales fell 14.6% to 6,080.

"Ford posted solid gains across our fresh lineup of new cars, utilities and trucks in May," said Ken Czubay, vice president, U.S. Marketing, Sales and Service, in a prepared statement. "Fuel efficiency continues to be a top purchaser driver."

Ford said it will build 690,000 vehicles in the third quarter, up 5% from the same quarter a year earlier.

-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C.

>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Ted Reed

>To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/tedreednc.