Ford, Chrysler post lower US sales in December

[Thom Little]

Weaker U.S. auto sales figures for December released on Wednesday capped a tumultuous year where Ford and Chrysler struggled with high gas prices and changing consumer tastes.

Ford Motor Co., which has been struggling to return its North American automotive unit to profitability, said its sales were down nearly 9 percent in December with steep declines in SUV sales.

Overall, the No. 2 U.S. automaker's sales declined 4.4 percent in 2005. Ford's only two months of sales gain were in July and August, when it followed GM's lead by offering the public new vehicles at the same low prices its employees pay. Sales retrenched heavily in the following months.

DaimlerChrysler AG said its U.S. sales fell 2 percent last month with sales at its U.S.-based Chrysler unit falling 5 percent.



http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=ousiv&storyID=2006-01-04T194349Z_01_KNE465779_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESSPRO-AUTOS-SALES-DC.XML

[Roland99]

1. GM down >10%. Wonder how the Japanese mfrs fared.

[longship]

2. What? Nobody is buying big SUVs and Pick-me-up trucks?

Shame on them.

We all need to buy a very big pick-me-up truck. One that sits two people and gets five MPG from its big honking V-8 engine. We need to save these Murican car makers. You know the ones; they all build their vehicles in Mexico and Canada.

We don't need no steenking Jap cars (built in the USA).

[Kolesar]

3. please start building station wagons again

I really don't want a Passat or a Suzuki.