Ford's total February sales fall 9%

Adds background and details from release in paragraphs 2-4

March 3 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co F.N on Monday reported an about 9% drop in its auto sales for February.

Automakers have been trying to cut costs amid lower interest for new vehicles, and brace for the potential impact of U.S. tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.

Ford's electrified sales, which includes pure EVs such as the F-150 Lightning pickup truck and the Mustang Mach-E and hybrid models, rose about 23%.

Sales of its gas-powered models fell nearly 13% to 135,992 units.

The Detroit automaker's overall auto sales fell to 158,675 from 174,192 a year ago.