Ford sold 1.1 million F-Series pickups last year

Ford Motor Co. sold nearly 1.1 million F-Series vehicles globally last year — lined end-to-end, the vehicles would stretch from Dearborn to County Cork, Ireland, the Ford family's ancestral home.

The Dearborn-based automaker sold most of those vehicles in the U.S. last year. Ford reported in early January it had moved 909,330 F-Series in 2018, which was a 1.4 percent increase over the year prior.

Ford primarily sells its pickups outside of the U.S. in Canada, the Middle East and in China, spokesman Mike Levine said Friday. The automaker sells the behemoth Raptor off-roader in China.

The more-than 1 million pickups sold last year would have generated $50 billion, using the $46,700 U.S. average transaction price for those vehicles. Lined bumper-to-bumper, the trucks would stretch more than 4,000 miles, enough to get from Dearborn to Las Vegas and back.

Analysts and investors have pointed out in 2018 that Ford's F-Series brand is the most valuable piece of the company. Sales from those vehicles generated more estimated revenue last year than Best Buy. 

Ford's success in the pickup market has sparked the first leg of a partnership with Germany's Volkswagen AG. The automakers plan to next week announce details of a commercial truck partnership.

F-Series trucks are built at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant, Kansas City Assembly Plant, Ohio Assembly Plant and Dearborn Truck Plant.

ithibodeau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Ian_Thibodeau