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Global buyers prefer red, black Ford Mustangs

As sales of the new, 2015 Ford Mustang kick off across the globe, Ford is uncovering some interesting data about its long-lived muscle car, and some of the most interesting stats focus on the color palette. Not surprisingly, buyers have a thing for a red Mustang. Race Red, a bright, glossy color, is the number one shade among Mustang owners in both Europe and China with 20 percent of Europeans and 35 percent of Chinese owners opting for the shade. Ford's Ruby Red paint was the third most popular color among American consumers. That's because Mustang owners in the land of the free and home of the brave prefer a literal dark horse, opting for the glossy Black. Magnetic, a dark gray shade, was the second favorite among American Mustang owners. That's right, America's favorite color overall, white, didn't even crack the top three (although Oxford White hit number two in China). Black remained popular in other markets, as well. Absolute Black, a metallic shade, tied Race Red in Europe, appearing on 20 percent of vehicles. Just under 20 percent of Chinese buyers, meanwhile, opted for the same gloss black Americans preferred. Check out Ford's full press release for more detailed stats on how customers in three of the company's largest markets are designing their Mustangs. Related Video: MAR 12, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. EARLY DATA INDICATES UNIVERSAL PASSION FOR MUSTANG EXTENDS TO COLORS AS ICONIC PONY CAR GOES GLOBAL; RED, BLACK RULE As all-new Ford Mustang officially arrives in global markets for the first time, customers worldwide are opting for red and black as their top exterior color choices Approximately 1.1 million Mustangs configured online by pony car enthusiasts throughout Europe; more than 18,000 consumers in China signed up to take all-new Mustang for a test spin U.S. Mustang sales up 32 percent in February – making it the best-selling sports car in America DEARBORN, Mich., March 12, 2015 – Red and black clinch the top spots as the most popular exterior paint colors for the first global Mustang, according to initial consumer data. Mustang demand has been high, with the car reaching dealer lots in the United States late last year and China in early 2015. It's set to go on sale in Europe midyear, with nearly 1.1 million pony cars configured on Ford's European websites just a month after ordering banks opened.

Ford Transit is America's new best-selling van

The Ford Motor Company's sales in December ticked up 1.2 percent in the US, and the automaker was down 0.5 percent for 2014. But the Blue Oval looks like it might have a real winner on its hands when it comes to its new Transit van. The recently introduced line nearly doubled its numbers during the month by delivering 10,030 units for an annual total of 20,488 examples sold. It also gave the fullsize model the title of America's bestselling van for December. Those 10,000 sales put the Transit head and shoulders above all of its competitors in the crowded commercial van market. Second place went to the Chevrolet Express with 5,611 sales in December, and the ancient Ford E-Series was third with 5,256 moved. The rest of the segment was somewhat lower, with the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter at 3,288 units for the month, Ram ProMaster at 3,036, GMC Savana with 1,725 and Nissan NV at 1,554. December also marked the second month in a row for the Transit to beat out the E-Series in sales. However, its predecessor still won overall for the year with 103,263 units moved in 2014, but it enjoyed a full calendar year of sales. According to Ford spokesperson Mike Levine, the smaller Transit Connect had its best sales month ever for December too, and the automaker has been among the sales leaders in the van segment for the last 36 years. "Clearly, sales show we're best at meeting our customers' needs," said Levine to Autoblog, who touted the model's results on Twitter and cited the Transit's numerous configurations as its biggest selling point. Ford's latest van has other plusses, too, say analysts. "The one thing the Transit has going for it is a low base price relative to the competition. Compare the base price of the Sprinter to the Transit and it is hands-down a Transit win," said Dave Sullivan, auto industry analyst at AutoPacific, to Autoblog. Purely by model name, the Transit was also the bestselling van in November, with 4,851 deliveries. However, the Chevy Express had 4,478 sales, plus 716 more from the GMC Savana. Since these two are the same model beneath the skin, as a platform, they arguably took the title for that month. With a new year already here, the Transit has a new challenge to face. "2015 will be the year that the Transit has to leave the nest, because E-Series inventories will be close to zero and Transit will have to carry all the weight," said Sullivan.

Auto sales in March and first quarter down nearly across the board

Nearly every major automaker reported weak U.S. sales for March and the first quarter of 2019, citing a rough start to the year, but said a robust economy and strong labor market should encourage consumers to buy more vehicles as 2019 rolls on. GM, which no longer releases monthly sales figures, saw first-quarter sales fall 7 percent, with declines across all brands. Sales of Silverado pickup trucks fell nearly 16 percent and the high-margin Chevy Suburban large SUV dropped 25 percent. Ford also no longer releases monthly sales numbers, but is due to release its first-quarter sales figures on Thursday. According to industry data, Ford's sales fell 2 percent in the quarter and 5 percent in March. Ford representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FCA reported a 7 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and a 3 percent drop for the first quarter. All of FCA's brands dropped in March, except for Ram, which saw a 15 percent increase in pickup truck sales. "The industry had a tough first quarter, but with spring finally starting to show its face and continued strong economic indicators ... we are confident that new vehicle sales demand will strengthen going forward," FCA's U.S. head of sales, Reid Bigland, said in a statement. Toyota reported a 3.5 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and 5 percent for the first quarter, hurt by declining demand for its Corolla sedans and Camry vehicles. "While some of our competitors are abandoning sedans, we remain optimistic about the future of the segment," Toyota said in a statement. Nissan posted a 5.3 percent drop in sales in March, and its first-quarter sales were down 11.6 percent. Honda and Hyundai bucked the trend. Honda's U.S. sales rose 4.3 percent in March and 2 percent in the quarter, while Hyundai's were up 1.7 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Passenger-car sales suffered throughout the January-March quarter compared with the same period in 2018 as Americans continued to abandon them in favor of larger, more comfortable pickup trucks and SUVs, which are far more profitable for automakers. The battle for market share in the particularly lucrative large-pickup truck market intensified in the quarter, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram brand outsold the U.S.' No. 1 automaker General Motors' Chevrolet-brand trucks. The two automakers have both launched redesigned pickup trucks.