DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co.'s first-quarter net income fell 24% from a year ago as the company's combustion engine vehicle unit saw revenue and sales decline.
The Dearborn, Michigan, automaker said Wednesday it made $1.33 billion from January through March, compared with $1.76 billion a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, Ford made 49 cents per share, enough to beat analyst estimates of 43 cents, according to FactSet.
Revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% to $42.78 billion, but that fell short of Wall Street estimates of $42.93 billion.
Ford Blue, the combustion engine unit, made $905 million before taxes, down $1.7 billion from a year ago. Revenue was down 13%. The company blamed the declines on lower inventories and selection of F-150 pickups due to updating factories for a new model.
Chief Financial Officer John Lawler told reporters Wednesday that Ford will recover sales volume and selection later in the year, positioning the company for strong earnings.
Ford Pro, the commercial vehicle unit, offset some of the decline, posting pretax earnings of just over $3 billion, more than double the same period last year. Pro revenue was up 36%.
“We’re very profitable now, but we believe that this business will be profitable and durable for many years to come,” CEO Jim Farley said of the commercial unit.
But Model e, the electric vehicle business, lost $1.3 billion, almost $600 million more than the first quarter of last year. The company said it's cutting costs, but those have been erased by electric vehicle price declines across the industry.
Farley said the EV business is the “main drag” on Ford’s performance right now. But he pledged further cost cuts, and profits on the next generation of electric vehicles coming out in the next two to three years. A small team at the company is working on underpinnings for smaller more affordable EVs, the company said.
“We're going to build a sustainably profitable EV business," Farley said. "And it needs to return the cost of capital on its own and not be subsidized.”
The company held its full-year pretax earnings forecast at $10 billion to $12 billion, but Lawler predicted it would be toward the high end of the range.
It lowered an estimate of full-year capital spending to $8 billion to $9 billion, down from earlier guidance of $8 billion to $9.5 billion. The company said the reduced spending shows its commitment to using capital efficiently.
Lawler said Ford expects U.S. auto prices to fall 2% to 3% this year, but said that drop didn’t materialize in the first quarter. Prices, he said, held up across the industry.
Still, Ford expects the price drop to happen later in the year.
“So far, the consumer stayed relative strong, industry has remained strong,” he said.
Shares of Ford rose 3% in trading after Wednesday's closing bell.
FILE - A worker walks past neon signs for Ford at the Auto Shanghai 2023 show in Shanghai, Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Ford reports their earnings on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal maintained its pursuit of the Premier League title with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth that lifted Mikel Arteta’s team four points clear of second-place Manchester City on Saturday.
City can reduce the gap back to one point by beating Wolverhampton later and still has another game in hand.
Bukayo Saka converted a penalty in the 45th minute after a trip on Kai Havertz before Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice added second-half goals at Emirates Stadium to secure Arsenal’s fourth straight victory in the league.
Arsenal, seeking its first league title since 2004, has two matches still to play — at Manchester United and home against Everton.
Havertz won the penalty in the 42nd minute after running onto a through-ball and rounding Mark Travers, only for the goalkeeper to clip the Germany international's trailing leg.
Saka made it six from six from the penalty spot this season with what was Arsenal's 16th shot of the match at that point.
Bournemouth came into the game more in the second half but lost hope when Rice teed up Trossard, who curled in a low shot from inside the area in the 70th.
Rice ran onto Gabriel Jesus' pass and scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time to wrap up the win.
At 2-0, Ryan Christie had a goal for Bournemouth disallowed for a push on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya by Dominic Solanke in the buildup, with a VAR check not changing the decision of the on-field referee.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu, left, challenges for the ball with Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Bournemouth's goalkeeper Mark Travers challenges for the ball with Arsenal's Kai Havertz during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard, left, celebrates with Arsenal's Declan Rice after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium in London, England, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
