ild,
Shocking declines at F. I heard that Explorer sales were down 41% and even the bread and butter F-Truck was off 20%.
GT
TH
Ford decline kicks off January U.S. sales
By Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch
Last Update: 1:19 PM ET Feb. 1, 2005
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Ford Motor was the first major automaker to post January U.S. sales on Tuesday, with a weak showing in trucks pacing a 12 percent overall decline.
NEWS FOR F
Ford decline kicks off January U.S. sales
For the month, Ford (F: news, chart, profile) sold 201,542 vehicles vs. 230,036 in the year-earlier period.
"January was a weak month. There's no point in sugar coating the result," said George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyst.
Truck sales plunged 16.7 percent to 131,599, with the F-Series, America's best selling vehicle, logging a 20 percent decline to 49,319 trucks sold. Car sales declined 2.9 percent.
"Car sales were a little firmer thanks to the recent introduction of several new models, but light trucks were somewhat weaker," said Steve Stanley of Greenwich Capital Markets. "The net was essentially in line with our projection."
Ford's Mustang was one of those new models that moved briskly off the lot as total retail sales surged 33 percent. Including lower fleet deliveries, Mustang's overall sales gained 4 percent to 10,285. Ford is planning to increase the emphasis on consumer sales for the Mustang, reducing its exposure to the rental car industry.
"The Mustang is the hottest car in the industry," said Earl Hesterberg, head of Ford's North American sales. "It is very unusual for a sports coupe to sell this well in the middle of winter."
Ford's blue-oval brand sales dropped 14 percent to 163,702 vehicles while Mercury provided a bright spot, up 17 percent to 15,309.
Sales for new Chicago-based products like the Ford Five Hundred and Freestyle gained 5 percent to 10,921.
At last check, Ford's stock was down 12 cents at $13.05.
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