Ford says May U.S. sales up 22% to 196,912 vehicles

Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday its U.S. sales rose 22 percent in May for all of its brands from a year earlier and increased its second-quarter North American production plan by 15,000 vehicles.

Ford's U.S. market sales rose to 196,912 vehicles in May from 161,531 vehicles in the same month a year earlier.

Sales rose 23.3 percent in its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands combined to 192,253 vehicles. Car sales in those three brands rose 8.7 percent, while sport utility sales rose 17.7 percent and truck sales rose 48.4 percent, Ford said.

In the Volvo brand that Ford plans to sell to China's Geely, sales fell 16.5 percent to 4,659 vehicles in May from the same month a year earlier.

Ford raised its second-quarter production plan to 640,000 vehicles and said it expected to build 570,000 vehicles in the third quarter in North America, up 80,000 vehicles, or 16 percent, from the same quarter in 2009.

The automaker said it gained retail market share for the 19th time in the past 20 months.

Ford shares were up 35 cents, or 3.07 percent, at $11.76 Wednesday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange.