Ford Says May U.S. Sales Up 20% From April

Ford Says May U.S. Sales Up 20% From April
By NICK BUNKLEY
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: June 2, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/business/03sales.html?hpw


DETROIT — With two carmakers operating in bankruptcy protection, the auto industry is hoping to see some evidence Tuesday that new-vehicle sales could start to pull out of their slump.

The Ford Motor Company said it sold more vehicles in the United States in May than in any month since last July and that its market share climbed to the highest level in three years.

It sales were down 24 percent from a year ago, one of the smallest declines that any major automaker has reported in months. But Ford said its sales rose 20 percent in May from April — helped by record sales of some of its small cars.

“Consideration for our new products is increasing,” Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president of sales and marketing, said in a statement. “Even as the competitive environment intensifies, Ford’s relentless pursuit of quality, fuel efficiency, smart technology and appealing designs is winning new customers.”

Ford is the only Detroit automaker that has not entered bankruptcy, after General Motors filed for Chapter 11 protection on Monday and Chrysler did so a month ago. They and other automakers were scheduled to report their May sales figures later Tuesday.

Through April, auto sales in the United States were down 37 percent this year, as the economic recession deters many consumers from buying a new car or truck.

April was the seventh consecutive month in which sales fell more than 30 percent, on a year-over-year basis. It was the fourth consecutive month in which total industry sales were below an annualized rate of 10 million vehicles; until 2008, automakers had been selling about 17 million vehicles a year for much of the last decade.

Ford said it would increase production in the second and third quarters by 52,000 vehicles, or 6 percent. That is in contrast to significant cutbacks at Chrysler, which has idled all of its United States plants for the last month, and G.M., which is shutting 13 assembly plants for part of the summer to clear out inventories.