GM, Ford Report Weak Sales For November

[hatrack]

DETROIT -- In what has become a familiar pattern, the country's top two automakers reported weak November sales Wednesday, while Chrysler and the Japanese companies continued to surge ahead. Both General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said they would reduce production for the first quarter of 2005 after the disappointing month.

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GM said its total vehicle sales fell 13.1 percent from November 2003, with a 17.1 percent decline in cars and a 10.3 percent decline in trucks. The company said it intends to produce 1.25 million vehicles in the first quarter, down 7.1 percent from the same quarter last year.

No. 2 Ford said sales of its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands fell 4.3 percent in November from the year before, its ninth monthly decline this year. Car sales fell 12.5 percent, while sales of pickups and SUVs were down 0.9 percent. Ford said it would build 930,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2005, a 7.7 percent reduction. Both GM and Ford said fourth-quarter production would remain unchanged at the previously announced plan of 830,000 vehicles for Ford and 1.27 million for GM.

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Toyota's American division, meanwhile, did best with cars. With the Camry holding its place as the country's best-selling passenger car and sales of the Prius hybrid continuing to climb, Toyota sold 19.2 percent more cars last month than in November 2003. Truck sales fell 1.4 percent, giving Toyota an overall increase of 8.8 percent."

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http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041202/NEWS/412020369/1001/business

[whistle]

1. How many auto lay-offs before Christmas I wonder

[TahitiNut]

2. This week's 3Q2004 GDP/NIPA report showed vehicle spending ...

... as a major component of 3Q spending. It would seem that the timing of spending (not atypical between 3Q and 4Q) is again showing political influences.

It should be noted that many/most government fiscal years end on the 3Q (September), including the Federal government. Fleet sales are a huge part of vehicle sales and governments often delay spending for such items to the end of their fiscal years. Governments are big spenders for vehicles. (Police, motor pools, etc.)

[Robert Oak]

3. no reason to buy them anymore, not American

Toyota makes a way better car and they also make many here.

As far as I know, you cannot buy a GM made in America at all,
Ford, pretty much the same.

[hickman1937]

4. I'm a Ford worker

leased to Visteon. The door panels we make are trucked to assembly in Detroit. One of the components we use to assemble the dp's come from Canada, the rest come from companies in the US. I know Ford was a big bush pusher, but after 29yrs and 1 month, I'll stick around a little longer.