Ford Quarterly Profit Off 17.5%

Ford Motor Co. said today it recorded a $313.1-million third-quarter profit this year, 17.5% below a year earlier, mainly because of low-interest deals offered to customers in August and September.

The net income of the nation’s No. 2 auto maker was $1.70 per share of common stock in the three months ending Sept. 30, compared with $2.05 per share, or $379.7 million, in the same period last year. Ford’s third-quarter sales totaled $11.6 billion, down 2% from the year-ago period.