Auto Sales Down 3.8%: Sales of North...

Auto Sales Down 3.8%: Sales of North American-made cars and trucks dipped 3.8% in early March from the same period a year earlier, which was one of the slowest selling periods of 1989, auto makers said. Sales of cars made by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. fell during early March, while sales rose for cars made at Japanese “transplant” factories in the United States. The nine major U.S. auto makers reporting said they sold cars and light trucks at an average daily rate of 29,906 during the March 1-10 period this year. They reported a rate of 31,090 a year earlier. Car sales were 3.3% below last year’s level. Truck sales were off 4.6%, based on the daily sales rate.

VEHICLE SALES

Mar. 1-10 1990 % change GM* 120,160 - 5.7 Ford* 85,196 - 6.1 Chrysler* 40,241 -11.3 Honda U.S. 8,919 + 1.8 Mitsubishi U.S. 1,122 +157.3 Nissan U.S.* 5,336 +22.1 Toyota U.S. 6,797 +267.4 Mazda U.S. 1,331 +53.5 Subaru U.S. 54 ** TOTAL 269,156 -3.8

*Includes light truck sales.

**No comparison possible.

There were 9 selling days in the selling period this year and last year.