Domestic Car and Truck Sales Slide

The nation’s Big Three auto makers said Friday that their sales of domestically made cars and light trucks dropped 9.8% in the June 11-20 sales period compared to the same time last year.

General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler Corp. vehicles sold at an average daily rate of 37,192 during the period, down from 41,243 in the comparable period in 1988.

Car sales were down 10.9% and light truck sales declined 8% for the period.

Big Three car and truck sales since Jan. 1 lagged 5.2% behind last year. The average daily rate so far this year was 35,285, down from 37,227 through mid-June, 1988.

For the year, car sales were down 7.2% and light truck sales were down 1.8% from last year.

All three companies’ sales sagged, with the greatest decline in car sales coming at Ford and the greatest slowdown in truck sales reported at GM.

Ford said its mid-June car sales dropped 13.9% to an average daily rate of 7,197 this year from 8,356 last year. Ford’s light truck sales for the period were down 6%.

Ford’s car sales were down 1.6% and its truck sales were down 3.1% for the year.

GM reported mid-June car sales dropping 8.6% to a daily rate of 12,344 from 13,510 in the year ago period. GM truck sales for the period dropped 10.8%.

That left GM car sales down 8.6% for the year and truck sales down 1.9%.

Chrysler said it sold an average of 3,380 cars a day in the mid-June period, down 12.6% from 3,867 last year.

AUTO SALES

June 11-20 % 10-Day 1989 change GM 98,752 -8.6 Ford 57,578 -13.9 Chrysler 27,040 -12.6 Honda U.S. 6,200 -36.6 Nissan U.S. 2,352 -32.1 Toyota U.S. 4,319 +232 Mazda U.S. 1,015 +25.8 Mitsubishi U.S. 874 - TOTAL 198,130 -10.9

There were 8 selling days in the selling period this year and last year.