Big 3 Car Sales Down 3.5%

DETROIT — Domestic car sales by the Big Three U.S. auto makers were down 3.5% in early February from a year ago but showed signs of improvement after January’s plunge, the companies reported today.

Sales were assisted during much of the period by a variety of incentives, including longer warranties. Industry leader GM’s car sales were down 9%, while No. 2 Ford reported an 8.2% improvement. Chrysler reported car sales down 1.7% in the Feb. 1-10 period.