Ford expects February retail sales to plunge 40%

For the first time in five months, Ford Motor Co. did not gain market share, said George Pipas, Ford’s sales analyst.

From October through January, Ford gained market share even while its total sales volume dropped.

In February, U.S. retail sales for the industry likely fell about 40% from a year earlier due to a decline in U.S. consumer confidence that was partially driven by massive corporate layoffs, Pipas said.

With just one weekend left for the month, Pipas said Ford’s retail sales will likely decline more than 40% and said Ford will lose some market share compared with last February.

“This will be the first month in five that Ford’s market share falls," Pipas said. “We had four months in which our share of the retail market was 13% or higher."