Ford US sales up 14 percent in May on truck demand

Ford US sales up 14 percent in May on continuing big demand for F-Series

DETROIT (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. says its U.S. sales rose 14 percent in May as demand for the F-Series pickup hit a six-year high.

Ford sold 71,604 F-Series trucks, the most since March of 2007. F-Series sales were up 31 percent over last May as construction crews and other small businesses drove demand.

Other strong sellers included the Ford Fusion sedan, which gained 10 percent, and the Ford Escape, which was up 26 percent. Ford sold more than 29,000 Escapes, for its best sales month since the small SUV's introduction 13 years ago.

Sales of the new luxury Lincoln MKZ sedan were up 42 percent.

Ford announced it will increase third-quarter North American production by 10 percent to 740,000 vehicles. Second-quarter production is unchanged at 800,000 cars and trucks.