Auto sales drop off

DETROIT – April auto sales were so slow that even Toyota reported a decrease from the same month last year. General Motors and Ford also reported decreases in U.S. sales while Chrysler had a small increase.

Most analysts expected that U.S. sales overall being reported Tuesday would be down due largely to the slumping housing market, rising consumer debt and no pent-up demand for vehicles.

Gasoline prices also are at or near $3 per gallon, and many consumers were expected to delay auto purchases until they find out what will happen to gas prices during the upcoming summer driving season.

The decline at Toyota Motor Corp. is counter to a long trend of rising sales, sometimes in double digits.

Toyota sales, which include the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands, dropped 4.4 percent to 210,457 last month from 219,965 in April 2006, the company said Tuesday.

The Japanese automaker has seen double-digit increases in recent months and it seemed like the rising sales would never end. In March, for example, the company’s sales jumped 11.7 percent.

Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, reported its U.S. sales fell 12.9 percent in April versus a year ago, due largely to slumping car sales.

Ford sold a total of 227,619 light vehicles last month, down from the 261,381 the company sold in April 2006. Car sales were off 23.6 percent, while truck sales were down 5.7 percent, the company said.

General Motors Corp. sales also were poor, down 9.5 percent from April of last year, while DaimlerChrysler AG sales were up 1.2 percent. Honda sales fell 9.1 percent from April 2006.

GM sold 307,554 light vehicles in April, down from 339,796 in the same month last year. Its car sales were down 10 percent, while truck sales were off 9 percent.

DaimlerChrysler’s overall sales increased to 213,999 from 211,365, due to an increase at its Chrysler Group. Chrysler sales rose by 1.6 percent from 190,095 in April of last year to 193,104 last month. Mercedes sales were down 1.8 percent to 20,895 from 21,270.

Chrysler said it had a strong retail month, with the Jeep brand up 29 percent due largely to sales of the Wrangler and Compass models.

Honda’s decline was almost as surprising as Toyota’s, with the company’s overall sales going from 139,124 last April to 126,419 this year. Its car sales plummeted 13.7 percent, while its truck sales were off 2.6 percent.

At Ford, even the company’s Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan mid-sized cars, which had been selling well in previous months, saw a decline, with Fusion sales off 2.5 percent and Milan sales down 5.4 percent.

Ford’s F-series pickup trucks, traditionally the top-selling vehicles in the U.S., were down 12.4 percent for the month.

“With April behind us, we remain focused on getting the word out about the strength of our new products, and our marketing offensive is moving into high gear,” Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, said in a statement.

Nearly 60 percent of Ford’s car decline was due to cancellation of the Taurus sedan, which ceased production late last year. The company sold 14,668 Tauruses in April 2006, mostly to fleet buyers. The company plans to rename its Five Hundred sedan the Taurus for the 2008 model year.

Ford pointed to the success of its new products, namely the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossover vehicles and the Ford Expedition large sport utility vehicle, as signs that it is selling vehicles people want.

Expedition sales were up 27 percent for the month, while Ford sold 9,134 new Edges and 2,901 MKXs in April.

Aprils top 10 sellers

Here are the top-selling vehicles for April:

Percent change

Vehicle April sales from 2006

Ford F-Series pickup56,692-5.1

Chevrolet Silverado pickup49,436-7.2

Toyota Camry/Hybrid37,9112.2

Toyota Corolla/Matrix32,289-3.3

Dodge Ram pickup31,50310.8

Honda Civic/Hybrid29,1551.0

Honda Acord/Hybrid28,926-0.9