Ford Motor Corp., the American auto maker that get bought out by the Government, saw sales decline in the wake of the Cash 4 Clunkers program, but it’s slide was much less steep than GM or Chrysler. According to CNBC:
“General Motors reported sales of 156,673 vehicles in September, 47.1 percent lower on an adjusted basis than the same month last year. CNBC reports monthly auto sales on an adjusted basis that accounts for the number of selling days in the most recent month compared with the same month a year prior.”
In contrast, Ford sales declined overall by 8.9 percent, selling 109,939 vehicles, but posted increases in sales for its F-series pick up trucks and newly designed Taurus sedan. According to Ford:
Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president of U.S. marketing and sales, said that could be a key indicator that pickup sales are starting to recover among core buyers who need them for work, and it may be an early indicator that small business owners are experiencing a turnaround.
“It’s two months in a row of F-series sales increases for us,” Czubay told reporters during a conference call. “It’s not the large commercial purchases, it’s more the individual.”
The F-series trucks usually are the top-selling vehicle in the U.S.
According to another report in the New York Times (reporting slightly different numbers):
“General Motors said it sales declined 45 percent, and Chrysler reported a 42 percent drop from September a year ago.
Sales were down 20 percent at Honda, 13 percent at Toyota and 7 percent at Nissan.
“Floor traffic was lousy all month,” Mark LaNeve, G.M.’s vice president for United States sales, said. “Every brand, every region of the country. It was a real post-clunker hangover. It was disappointing. I expected the month to be a bit stronger, but it just wasn’t.”
The Ford Motor Company said its sales declined 5 percent from September 2008. For the entire third quarter, though, sales by Ford‘s three domestic brands rose 5 percent, marking its first quarterly increase in four years.
Ford said sales of its F-series pickup truck rose for the second consecutive month, a positive indication about the housing market and broader economy, as the F-series is frequently purchased by building contractors and other businesses.