WSJ - Sales Decline at GM, Ford; Chrysler Posts 6% Gain

[Klaus]

Sales Decline at GM, Ford;
Chrysler Posts 6% Gain

A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
August 3, 2004 2:26 p.m.

General Motors Corp. said its July sales fell 3.4%, compared to very strong year-ago levels. Ford Motor Co. posted a 4.1% decline in sales, as demand for its passenger cars tumbled, while DaimlerChrysler AG reported a 6% increase in U.S. sales in July.

GM, of Detroit, recorded its best sales month so far this year in July, as dealers sold 459,263 new cars and trucks. Still, GM's overall truck sales slipped 3.4% to 278,454 from record year-ago levels, while car sales declined 4.5% to 180,809.

The auto makers' results are based on 27 selling days in July 2004 compared with 26 days in the year-ago period.

"July was a good month for GM, rebounding nicely from June," said John Smith, group vice president of GM North America vehicle sales, service and marketing. "We had solid growth in both sales volume and share, led by record utility sales and increasing momentum of our launch vehicles."

GM's GMC truck line had record sales of 61,269 and the company recorded its second-best month for sport utility deliveries, which rose 11%. Large luxury SUV sales jumped 23% to 9,259, led by gains for the Escalade and Escalade ESV models. Small SUV sales jumped 49% to 17,131, paced by the Saturn Vue, whose sales rose 15%.

In GM's car unit, luxury car sales improved 7% to 23,608, led by record Cadillac CTS and DeVille sales. Malibu reached its highest sales level since it was introduced, more than doubling to 23,979 deliveries.

DaimlerChrysler

DaimlerChrysler, of Auburn Hills, Mich., said it had total group sales of 208,581 passenger vehicles in the U.S. last month, up from 197,150 a year ago.

Chrysler Group, which consists of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands, posted sales of 189,619 vehicles in the U.S., up 6% from the year-ago month. Adjusted for the number of selling days per month, sales for Chrysler Group rose 2%.

Year-to-date sales at Chrysler Group are up 3% to 1.3 million compared to the same period in 2003.

The Chrysler Group now has seven new models in production for 2004, including the 2005 Chrysler 300 and 2005 Dodge Magnum. Still slated to arrive at dealerships later this year are the 2005 Dodge Dakota and the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Mercedes-Benz USA posted sales of 18,962 units, an increase of 1% for the month. Year-to-date sales for MBUSA are 122,130 vehicles compared to 124,630 a year ago.

Ford Motor

Ford said sales of trucks increased 1.8% to 202,423 in the month, but sales of passenger cars slid 16% to 82,781. Ford sold a total of 285,204 autos, down from 297,265 a year earlier.

Year-to-date through July, the Dearborn, Mich., auto maker's sales fell 3% to 1.98 million. Sales of trucks totaled 1.33 million, up 1%, while sales of passenger cars totaled 645,731, down 11%.

Ford's F-Series trucks posted sales of 80,253, up 15%. July was the 11th month in a row of higher F-Series sales, coinciding with the introduction of the new F-150 model last September. A new Super Duty model, built at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, will debut later this summer.

Sales of sport-utility vehicles totaled 79,656, down 5%.

Volvo dealers reported record July sales of 12,255, up 5.7% from a year ago. The new S40 sedan achieved its best month yet with sales of 2,351, more than double the level of sales for the old model a year ago. Volvo is part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group of European luxury brands, which also includes Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston-Martin.

Nissan

Nissan Motor Co.'s Nissan North America Inc. unit reported its best month ever with July total sales of 93,297 units for its Nissan and Infiniti divisions, a 31% jump over last year.

The Japanese auto maker said July sales for Nissan-brand vehicles were up 35% to 80,935 units sold, while sales for its luxury Infiniti division increased 10% to 12,362 units sold.

Year-to-date sales are up 28% to 491,410 for Nissan vehicles and up 11% to 74,672 for Infiniti vehicles.

[Klaus]

Sales Decline at GM, Ford;
Chrysler Posts 6% Gain

A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
August 3, 2004 2:26 p.m.

General Motors Corp. said its July sales fell 3.4%, compared to very strong year-ago levels. Ford Motor Co. posted a 4.1% decline in sales, as demand for its passenger cars tumbled, while DaimlerChrysler AG reported a 6% increase in U.S. sales in July.

GM, of Detroit, recorded its best sales month so far this year in July, as dealers sold 459,263 new cars and trucks. Still, GM's overall truck sales slipped 3.4% to 278,454 from record year-ago levels, while car sales declined 4.5% to 180,809.

The auto makers' results are based on 27 selling days in July 2004 compared with 26 days in the year-ago period.

"July was a good month for GM, rebounding nicely from June," said John Smith, group vice president of GM North America vehicle sales, service and marketing. "We had solid growth in both sales volume and share, led by record utility sales and increasing momentum of our launch vehicles."

GM's GMC truck line had record sales of 61,269 and the company recorded its second-best month for sport utility deliveries, which rose 11%. Large luxury SUV sales jumped 23% to 9,259, led by gains for the Escalade and Escalade ESV models. Small SUV sales jumped 49% to 17,131, paced by the Saturn Vue, whose sales rose 15%.

In GM's car unit, luxury car sales improved 7% to 23,608, led by record Cadillac CTS and DeVille sales. Malibu reached its highest sales level since it was introduced, more than doubling to 23,979 deliveries.

DaimlerChrysler

DaimlerChrysler, of Auburn Hills, Mich., said it had total group sales of 208,581 passenger vehicles in the U.S. last month, up from 197,150 a year ago.

Chrysler Group, which consists of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands, posted sales of 189,619 vehicles in the U.S., up 6% from the year-ago month. Adjusted for the number of selling days per month, sales for Chrysler Group rose 2%.

Year-to-date sales at Chrysler Group are up 3% to 1.3 million compared to the same period in 2003.

The Chrysler Group now has seven new models in production for 2004, including the 2005 Chrysler 300 and 2005 Dodge Magnum. Still slated to arrive at dealerships later this year are the 2005 Dodge Dakota and the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Mercedes-Benz USA posted sales of 18,962 units, an increase of 1% for the month. Year-to-date sales for MBUSA are 122,130 vehicles compared to 124,630 a year ago.

Ford Motor

Ford said sales of trucks increased 1.8% to 202,423 in the month, but sales of passenger cars slid 16% to 82,781. Ford sold a total of 285,204 autos, down from 297,265 a year earlier.

Year-to-date through July, the Dearborn, Mich., auto maker's sales fell 3% to 1.98 million. Sales of trucks totaled 1.33 million, up 1%, while sales of passenger cars totaled 645,731, down 11%.

Ford's F-Series trucks posted sales of 80,253, up 15%. July was the 11th month in a row of higher F-Series sales, coinciding with the introduction of the new F-150 model last September. A new Super Duty model, built at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, will debut later this summer.

Sales of sport-utility vehicles totaled 79,656, down 5%.

Volvo dealers reported record July sales of 12,255, up 5.7% from a year ago. The new S40 sedan achieved its best month yet with sales of 2,351, more than double the level of sales for the old model a year ago. Volvo is part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group of European luxury brands, which also includes Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston-Martin.

Nissan

Nissan Motor Co.'s Nissan North America Inc. unit reported its best month ever with July total sales of 93,297 units for its Nissan and Infiniti divisions, a 31% jump over last year.

The Japanese auto maker said July sales for Nissan-brand vehicles were up 35% to 80,935 units sold, while sales for its luxury Infiniti division increased 10% to 12,362 units sold.

Year-to-date sales are up 28% to 491,410 for Nissan vehicles and up 11% to 74,672 for Infiniti vehicles.

[Klaus]

Sales Decline at GM, Ford;
Chrysler Posts 6% Gain

A WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE NEWS ROUNDUP
August 3, 2004 2:26 p.m.

General Motors Corp. said its July sales fell 3.4%, compared to very strong year-ago levels. Ford Motor Co. posted a 4.1% decline in sales, as demand for its passenger cars tumbled, while DaimlerChrysler AG reported a 6% increase in U.S. sales in July.

GM, of Detroit, recorded its best sales month so far this year in July, as dealers sold 459,263 new cars and trucks. Still, GM's overall truck sales slipped 3.4% to 278,454 from record year-ago levels, while car sales declined 4.5% to 180,809.

The auto makers' results are based on 27 selling days in July 2004 compared with 26 days in the year-ago period.

"July was a good month for GM, rebounding nicely from June," said John Smith, group vice president of GM North America vehicle sales, service and marketing. "We had solid growth in both sales volume and share, led by record utility sales and increasing momentum of our launch vehicles."

GM's GMC truck line had record sales of 61,269 and the company recorded its second-best month for sport utility deliveries, which rose 11%. Large luxury SUV sales jumped 23% to 9,259, led by gains for the Escalade and Escalade ESV models. Small SUV sales jumped 49% to 17,131, paced by the Saturn Vue, whose sales rose 15%.

In GM's car unit, luxury car sales improved 7% to 23,608, led by record Cadillac CTS and DeVille sales. Malibu reached its highest sales level since it was introduced, more than doubling to 23,979 deliveries.

DaimlerChrysler

DaimlerChrysler, of Auburn Hills, Mich., said it had total group sales of 208,581 passenger vehicles in the U.S. last month, up from 197,150 a year ago.

Chrysler Group, which consists of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands, posted sales of 189,619 vehicles in the U.S., up 6% from the year-ago month. Adjusted for the number of selling days per month, sales for Chrysler Group rose 2%.

Year-to-date sales at Chrysler Group are up 3% to 1.3 million compared to the same period in 2003.

The Chrysler Group now has seven new models in production for 2004, including the 2005 Chrysler 300 and 2005 Dodge Magnum. Still slated to arrive at dealerships later this year are the 2005 Dodge Dakota and the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Mercedes-Benz USA posted sales of 18,962 units, an increase of 1% for the month. Year-to-date sales for MBUSA are 122,130 vehicles compared to 124,630 a year ago.

Ford Motor

Ford said sales of trucks increased 1.8% to 202,423 in the month, but sales of passenger cars slid 16% to 82,781. Ford sold a total of 285,204 autos, down from 297,265 a year earlier.

Year-to-date through July, the Dearborn, Mich., auto maker's sales fell 3% to 1.98 million. Sales of trucks totaled 1.33 million, up 1%, while sales of passenger cars totaled 645,731, down 11%.

Ford's F-Series trucks posted sales of 80,253, up 15%. July was the 11th month in a row of higher F-Series sales, coinciding with the introduction of the new F-150 model last September. A new Super Duty model, built at Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, will debut later this summer.

Sales of sport-utility vehicles totaled 79,656, down 5%.

Volvo dealers reported record July sales of 12,255, up 5.7% from a year ago. The new S40 sedan achieved its best month yet with sales of 2,351, more than double the level of sales for the old model a year ago. Volvo is part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group of European luxury brands, which also includes Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston-Martin.

Nissan

Nissan Motor Co.'s Nissan North America Inc. unit reported its best month ever with July total sales of 93,297 units for its Nissan and Infiniti divisions, a 31% jump over last year.

The Japanese auto maker said July sales for Nissan-brand vehicles were up 35% to 80,935 units sold, while sales for its luxury Infiniti division increased 10% to 12,362 units sold.

Year-to-date sales are up 28% to 491,410 for Nissan vehicles and up 11% to 74,672 for Infiniti vehicles.