Wednesday, January 03, 2007

December Auto Sales Start To Roll In

GM, Ford Sales Decline 13%As Toyota Sales Climb 12%
By TERRY KOSDROSKY, The Wall Street Journal, January 3, 2007 3:55 p.m.

The major U.S. auto makers continued to cede ground to their foreign rivals in December, as General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. both posted double-digit declines in U.S. sales, while their main Japanese rival, Toyota Motor Corp., saw gains of 12%.
GM's performance was a particular surprise, with U.S. sales dropping 13% to 334,501 light vehicles, as its new line of pickup trucks, the Cheverolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, didn't produce an uptick. GM shares fell on the news and recently were down $1.42, or 4.6%, at $29.30 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Sales of the Silverado and Sierra were down 23% and 18%, respectively. Pickups in general are major profit centers for U.S. auto makers, and GM executives have said the sales of its new trucks are critical to its overall performance...read more: here