Smaller Cars Lift Ford’s Profit to $2.55 Billion

By NICK BUNKLEY
Published: April 26, 2011

DEARBORN, Mich. — The Ford Motor Company on Tuesday reported its best first-quarter earnings since 1998, even as its sales shift to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

Ford earned $2.55 billion in the quarter, a 22 percent increase from the period a year ago and the strongest evidence yet of its transformation from a company dependent on big trucks into one that can generate significant profit selling cars of all sizes.

The old Ford lost money on many of its cars, counting on sales of more expensive trucks to stay in the black. Today’s Ford, however, is able to persuade many of the drivers who buy its subcompact, the Fiesta, to save on gasoline to also spend thousands of dollars on amenities like heated leather seats.

As a result, Ford made a profit of about $1,519 on each vehicle, an increase of 59 percent from the year-earlier period, even though revenue was up only 9 percent, to $22,096 a vehicle.

“They have much more competitive products on the small and midsize platforms than they ever have before,â€