Ford sales surge ahead of tariffs | Money [Video]

(CNN) — Buyers flooded Ford dealerships in March to snap up cars ahead of the threat of higher prices due to tariffs, the company reported Tuesday.

Overall sales in March rose 10%, Ford said, a bounce from the 1.3% decline in the first quarter overall. The biggest jump was in retail sales, or sales directly to consumers. That rose 5% in the quarter driven by a 19% surge in March.

The Trump administration will impose a 25% tariff Thursday morning on all cars imported from foreign countries, including Canada and Mexico. The company did not mention tariffs in the sales release. And while most of the vehicles Ford makes are at US plants that won’t immediately be subject to tariffs, some of its hot sellers in the quarter are vehicles Ford makes outside the United States.

That includes the Maverick small pickup truck, which is built in Mexico, and had a record …