Ford Reports Best 1st-Quarter Profit In 13 Years

The automaker said Tuesday that net income rose to about $2.5 billion, up from $2 billion in the same quarter last year and its best first-quarter performance since 1998. Ford sold plenty of F-series pickup trucks and Explorer SUVs. But unlike in the past, when big gas-guzzlers were cash cows for American automakers, it's Ford's smaller, fuel-efficient cars that are driving its earnings.