North American-Made Vehicle Sales Drop: Sales of...

North American-Made Vehicle Sales Drop: Sales of cars and trucks dropped 5.6% in mid-September, compared to last year, when high inventories pressed auto makers to offer big incentives, the companies said. A 42.3% increase in the sales of cars made in North America by Japanese companies was offset by a 7.5% decline in cars made by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. The Big Three held 84.4% of the car market in mid-September. The 10 major companies making cars and trucks in the U.S. said they sold vehicles at an average daily rate of 35,810 during the Sept. 11-20 period this year, compared to a rate of 37,948 a year earlier year. Car sales were down 2.6%, and truck sales were off 10.5%.

VEHICLE SALES

Sept. 11-20 % change 1990 year to year GM* 150,893 -10.0 Ford* 91,005 -7.6 Chrysler* 44,872 -15.1 Honda U.S. 13,364 +21.1 Mitsubishi U.S. 1,325 -6.8 Nissan U.S.* 8,809 +137.8 Toyota U.S. 8,319 +52.8 Mazda U.S. 2,180 +134.7 Subaru U.S. 563 ** Isuzu U.S.* 959 ** TOTAL 322,289 -5.6

*Includes light truck sales.

**No comparison possible.

There were 9 selling days in the selling period this year and last year.