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Toyota, GM Vehicle Sales Jump in August

Posted on: Friday, 1 September 2006, 15:00 CDT

By TOM KRISHER

DETROIT - Toyota on Friday said its U.S. vehicle sales rose 17 percent in August and General Motors' sales increased 3.9 percent as the companies said buyers looked to more fuel-efficient offerings. But Ford sales dropped 11.6 percent and DaimlerChrysler's fell 3.2 percent.

Ford outsold Toyota last month. The Japanese automaker had outsold Ford in the U.S. in July for the first month ever.

Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. said gas-conscious consumers made last month the company's best-ever August selling period. Overall, it sold 240,178 vehicles in August, up from 205,362 in the same month a year ago.

Sales of Toyota and Lexus cars rose 19.9 percent to 144,144 from 120,198, while light truck sales rose 12.8 percent to 96,034 from 85,164.

"We are grateful to have the fuel-efficient models today's market demands," said TMS Executive Vice President Jim Lentz. "But it's the strength of our dealer network which is proving increasingly central to our growth."

General Motors Corp. sold 156,723 passenger cars, up 3.9 percent from 150,900 the same month a year ago. And its truck sales rose 4 percent to 206,798 from 198,906. But GM also said in its sales release that it expects about a 12 percent decrease in North American production during the fourth quarter. GM's August sales included Saab models.

"This was one of the stronger retail months of 2006, with our performance led by such launch vehicles as the Pontiac Torrent and G6, Saturn Sky, Chevrolet Cobalt, Impala and Buick Lucerne," said Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of vehicle sales for North America. "Importantly, we're capitalizing on the sale of fuel-efficient cars and trucks."

DaimlerChrysler AG sold 199,767 units in the latest month, compared with 206,352 units a year ago.

Chrysler Group, which includes the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands, had sales of 179,165, down 4.2 percent from 187,085 vehicles last year. Detailed breakdowns of sales were expected later in the day.

Ford's sales fell as the market continued to shift away from trucks and sport utility vehicles. Sales of SUVs and trucks, which the automaker has depended on for most of its revenue, fell 20.8 percent compared with August 2005, but car sales grew by 8.5 percent

The company said the increased car sales were fueled by higher demand for its new mid-sized sedans including the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr.

Ford Motor Co. said it sold 253,976 cars and light trucks in August, down from 287,235 in August of last year, when the company set sales records by offering employee price discounts for everyone.

The figures include Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brands as well as its luxury group that includes Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover.

Ford's light truck sales totaled 156,175 last month, down from 197,109 in the same month of 2005, but car sales rose to 97,801 last month from 90,126 a year ago.

Sales of the F-Series truck, America's most popular vehicle, dropped 15 percent in August when compared with August of 2005, which the company said was a record month.

Ford sold 76,804 of the trucks, compared with 90,388 in August of last year. Still, August was the second-best sales month for the F-Series this year, the company said.

The company pointed to its mid-sized car sales as a bright spot, saying that it sold 22,863 of them last month, a record number for the vehicles, which were introduced last year.

"We haven't found the top yet when it comes to these three midsized sedans. Our experience is that demand will continue to grow as we improve the value of the 2007 models," with added safety features and optional all-wheel-drive, said George Pipas, Ford's U.S. sales analysis manager.

He predicted continued slumping sales for the company's full-sized SUVs, but improving numbers for the F-Series pickups later in the year.

Ford confirmed Friday that it was discontinuing production of the Mercury Monterey minivan, and that the future of the Ford Freestar was in doubt. The Freestar will continue in production through the 2007 model year "then after that we'll see what happens," Pipas said in a conference call with analysts and reporters.

Neither van has been a great seller. In August, Monterey sales were down 46.1 percent from the same month last year, while Freestar sales were off 29.7 percent.

Pipas predicted that this year, minivan sales will dip below 1 million vehicles for the first time since 1992. The segment peaked with 1.4 million vans sold in 2000.

DaimlerChrysler said Mercedes-Benz USA reported its highest August sales on record with 20,602 new vehicles sold, an increase of 6.9 percent over last August's sales of 19,267.

Mazda North American Operations Inc. said August U.S. sales rose modestly on the strength of its all-new CX-7 crossover.

Mazda said total August U.S. sales rose 0.8 percent to 22,311 vehicles from 22,135 in the year-ago month.

Also Friday, Porsche Cars North America Inc., the importer and distributor of Porsche sports cars and Cayenne SUVs in the U.S. and Canada, said its sales fell 14.1 percent in August to 2,397 units from 2,735 last year.

Ford shares fell 8 cents to $8.29 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, while DaimlerChrysler shares rose 27 cents to $53.05 and GM shares increased 69 cents to $29.87. Toyota Motor Co,'s U.S. shares rose 6 cents to $108.40 on the NYSE.

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On the Net:

DaimlerChrysler AG: http://www.daimlerchrysler.com

Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com

General Motors Corp.: http://www.gm.com

Toyota Motor Corp.: http://www.toyota.com

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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