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U.S. auto sales dropped 3 percent last month despite another wave of discounts by major automakers and lower gas prices as consumers took a break and continued to shift from SUVs to passenger cars and crossovers.
Detroit automakers have made a push to reclaim a larger slice of the U.S. passenger car market and the effort is paying off in robust sales of the Ford Fusion, Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Impala and other car models. But the rise in demand for some new car models has not been enough to offset the sharp decline in Big Three SUV sales, a source of hefty profits that has largely been diminished this year.
The auto industry's passenger car sales are outperforming pickups and sport utility vehicles in the U.S. market for the first time since 1981, according to Ford Motor Co.
"One year doesn't make a trend," said George Pipas, manager of sales analysis and reporting for Ford. "(But) for the first time in 20-some years, we see cars advancing."
Industry-wide, car sales increased 4.5 percent last month, while sales of pickups and SUVs declined 8.4 percent. Year to date, demand for passenger cars is up 2.8 percent while pickup and SUV demand has dropped by 0.6 percent. However, pickups and SUVs still account for 54.6 percent of the overall U.S. vehicle market, compared to just 45.4 percent for cars.
Overall, vehicle sales fell 2.8 percent from more than 1.99 million units in November 2004, to 1.6 million units last month.
For the year, the auto industry's overall sales are up 0.9 percent.
Ford saw the sharpest decline in sales among Detroit automakers, with its monthly sales dropping 14.7 percent from 217,859 vehicles to 185,852. As a result, Ford's U.S. market share dropped to just 15.9 percent for the month, compared to 18.2 percent last November.
General Motors Corp., hurt by sagging demand for its biggest sport utility vehicles, posted a 7.6 percent decline in sales, from 297,355 to 274,686. GM's market share fell to 23.6 percent from 24.8 percent last year.
DaimlerChrysler AG saw its sales fall for the first time in 19 months, dropping 2.7 percent from 164,280 in November 2004 to 159,898. The company's U.S. market share was flat at 13.7 percent.
All three automakers saw a slight improvement over October's dismal results, but the mid-month incentives they introduced did little to stem a decline in sales. Chrysler responded Thursday by offering new incentives up to $2,000 on all models.
Asian brands continued to advance, with Toyota Motor Corp. leading the charge. Its sales increased 10 percent from 154,272 to 169,665, giving Toyota 14.6 percent of the U.S. market. Honda Motor Co., helped by the redesigned Civic, saw its sales leap 10.8 percent, from 95,524 to 105,860.
The continuing decline in sales prompted Ford and GM to cut production by 20,000 vehicles during the rest of 2005. Ford said all of its cuts would affect truck output. GM said most of its production cuts would affect trucks.http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051202/AUTO01/512020366
Detroit automakers have made a push to reclaim a larger slice of the U.S. passenger car market and the effort is paying off in robust sales of the Ford Fusion, Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Impala and other car models. But the rise in demand for some new car models has not been enough to offset the sharp decline in Big Three SUV sales, a source of hefty profits that has largely been diminished this year.
The auto industry's passenger car sales are outperforming pickups and sport utility vehicles in the U.S. market for the first time since 1981, according to Ford Motor Co.
"One year doesn't make a trend," said George Pipas, manager of sales analysis and reporting for Ford. "(But) for the first time in 20-some years, we see cars advancing."
Industry-wide, car sales increased 4.5 percent last month, while sales of pickups and SUVs declined 8.4 percent. Year to date, demand for passenger cars is up 2.8 percent while pickup and SUV demand has dropped by 0.6 percent. However, pickups and SUVs still account for 54.6 percent of the overall U.S. vehicle market, compared to just 45.4 percent for cars.
Overall, vehicle sales fell 2.8 percent from more than 1.99 million units in November 2004, to 1.6 million units last month.
For the year, the auto industry's overall sales are up 0.9 percent.
Ford saw the sharpest decline in sales among Detroit automakers, with its monthly sales dropping 14.7 percent from 217,859 vehicles to 185,852. As a result, Ford's U.S. market share dropped to just 15.9 percent for the month, compared to 18.2 percent last November.
General Motors Corp., hurt by sagging demand for its biggest sport utility vehicles, posted a 7.6 percent decline in sales, from 297,355 to 274,686. GM's market share fell to 23.6 percent from 24.8 percent last year.
DaimlerChrysler AG saw its sales fall for the first time in 19 months, dropping 2.7 percent from 164,280 in November 2004 to 159,898. The company's U.S. market share was flat at 13.7 percent.
All three automakers saw a slight improvement over October's dismal results, but the mid-month incentives they introduced did little to stem a decline in sales. Chrysler responded Thursday by offering new incentives up to $2,000 on all models.
Asian brands continued to advance, with Toyota Motor Corp. leading the charge. Its sales increased 10 percent from 154,272 to 169,665, giving Toyota 14.6 percent of the U.S. market. Honda Motor Co., helped by the redesigned Civic, saw its sales leap 10.8 percent, from 95,524 to 105,860.
The continuing decline in sales prompted Ford and GM to cut production by 20,000 vehicles during the rest of 2005. Ford said all of its cuts would affect truck output. GM said most of its production cuts would affect trucks.http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051202/AUTO01/512020366
